In the last week, a viral video circulated of Roger Alan Haenke, an Episcopal Priest at St. John’s in Chula Vista, CA, featuring a confrontation amidst a vigilante “catch a predator” style sting operation. Haenke was exposed for texting sexually explicit messages to an undercover vigilante who was posing as a 14-15 year-old boy. The textual interaction depicts various undercurrents in the homosexual community, which include large age differences and grooming tactics on minors. That Haenke is a priest is even more surprising, albeit in the pro-homosexuality Episcopalian Church. Ironically, he was previously a Catholic priest, which perhaps leads one to believe there was more to the story surrounding his departure.
Evidently, the Episcopalian Diocese of San Diego (EDSD) has responded to the viral video, announcing that Haenke has been placed on indefinite leave:
The leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego is aware of an allegation made on social media against the Rev. Roger Haenke, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chula Vista. The post alleges sexual misconduct with a minor, and we are taking this seriously.
The diocese has notified law enforcement and child protective services and is cooperating fully with civil authorities. Additionally, a formal disciplinary proceeding under Title IV of The Episcopal Church’s Canons—the church’s process for addressing clergy misconduct—has been initiated.
Fr. Haenke is on a previously scheduled medical leave and will remain on leave until further notice.
“The safety of all members of our congregations and communities—especially children—is our highest priority,” said Bishop Susan Brown Snook, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. “As Christians, we are called to hold one another to account, and we are committed to reconciliation and healing if we fall short of our own ideals.”
The Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, Canon to the Ordinary, is a senior diocesan leader and was present at St. John’s on Sunday to read a pastoral letter to the congregation and offer support. That letter is available online here.
Anyone with information related to this matter is encouraged to contact the police, Child Protective Services, and the diocesan intake officer, the Rev. Willy Crespo, listed at https://edsd.org/safe-church-safe-communities/reporting-misconduct/ or call the diocesan office at 619-291-5947.
We ask for your prayers for everyone impacted by this situation.
The disciplinary process for the Episcopalian Church generally will involve an investigation before a series of hearings, with the ability to appeal in a process that could take weeks or several months to complete.
The swiftness of the response does not bode well for Haenke, as they are putting him under the disciplinary process and removing him. One important detail about the People v Preds sting is that it was seemingly conducted in 2022-2023, as indicated by the dates in the screenshots, meaning the information is not recent.
Haenke was also a male nurse in the state of California. Theoretically, his actions could result in a loss of licensure or disciplinary action by the California Board of Registered Nursing. As of now, there are no reports under his license.
Overall, the fact that a gay priest in the Episcopalian Church was targeting male youths via Grindr is supplemented by the less surprising detail that the Episcopalian Diocese is ran by women, yet even this scandal might be a bridge to far for the Episcopalian Church.
