Johannesburg — LAWYERS for the suspended head of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg, Paul Verryn, said on Friday that Verryn disputed the charges laid against him by his church, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.
Verryn was suspended last week and faces two disciplinary charges, the first for his initiating a court action to have a curator appointed to ensure the best interests of parentless children living in the church. The Methodist Church said he had done so without authority.
Ultimately, the curator case was pursued by the Aids Law Project and not by Verryn, but Verryn was involved when it started.
The second charge related to Verryn's talking to the media after he was instructed not to.
The Central Methodist Church provides refuge to more than 3000 refugees and homeless people, mostly from Zimbabwe.
But it has been criticised for overcrowding and unhealthy living conditions, which spill into the streets of central Johannesburg.
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The Legal Resources Centre (LRC), representing Verryn, said it was necessary to respond to "much inaccurate speculation regarding the basis of the purported suspension".
When Verryn's suspension was announced, lawyers for the Methodist Church said the reasons could not be disclosed, leading to media speculation.
The LRC said: "Specific media reports have linked Verryn's suspension to allegations involving sexual abuse of persons living at the Central Methodist Church.
"No attempt has been made by the presiding bishop (Ivan Abrahams) or his legal representatives to correct this speculation."
The LRC said Verryn disputed both charges, which were "of a procedural or technical nature" and "entirely unrelated to any of the grounds that emerged from media speculation".
The LRC said underlying the charges was a dispute between Verryn and Abrahams.
Verryn has requested that the disciplinary hearing be postponed pending church mediation.
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