Episcopal priest facing discipline says he'll quit
Lexington Herald-Leader
By Frank E. Lockwood
June 14, 2006

An Episcopal priest, accused of repeatedly disobeying Lexington Bishop Stacy Sauls and of acting inappropriately, said this week he is resigning from the church.

But under church law, the Rev. William Lee Hodges, 58, cannot derail the church's legal process by resigning once formal denominational charges have been brought, diocese attorney Buck Hinkle said.

Diocesan documents say Hodges refused to submit to church oversight and supervision for years and Hodges' service as a priest has been 'severely marred by problems of substance abuse.'

'Your behavior, now and in the past, exposes the church, its ministry and those in our care to danger,' Sauls wrote in an Oct. 8, 2004, letter to Hodges.

The diocese released the letter and a copy of the charges Hodges faces after the priest told the Herald-Leader he was leaving the church largely because of doctrinal differences. the rest