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Kent reverend leads effort to bring church charges against Jeff Sessions

Hundreds of United Methodist Clergy have filed church charges against Jeff Sessions over the "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivers remarks at an event held by the National Sheriffs' Association at the W Hotel May 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. Sessions addressed the association's D.C. Opioid Roundtable.

A group of more than 600 United Methodist church members and clergy are bringing church law charges against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions over a "zero tolerance" policy on U.S. immigration, which has resulted in the separation of families on the U.S.- Mexico border.

Sessions is a member of Ashland Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama.

Reverend David Wright of Kent, is leading the effort to hold Sessions accountable. He was the first author of a letter to Sessions' pastors that hundreds of church members have now signed.

"The scope and scale and the meanness of what we saw happening and are seeing happening right now was heartbreaking in terms of the complete devaluing of these human beings," said Wright. "The ways in which the children are taken away from their parents, this is going to leave scars on those kids and their parents and their families. That is so inhumane."

The group said in a June 18 statement that Sessions violated Paragraph 2702.3 of the Denominations' Book of Discipline. Sessions is charged with child abuse, immorality, racial discrimination in separating children from their parents.

They also accused Sessions with "dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards and doctrine of the United Methodist Church," in reference to Sessions' quoting a bible verse to defend the "zero tolerance" policy.

Wright hopes the complaint leads to a conversation between Sessions and his pastors.

"My ideal dream world is that he would have a change of heart, stop doing those things and then use his incredible social and political and cultural power to undo the harm where he can," said Wright.

WATCH: Protesters condemn immigration policy outside AG Sessions speech in New Orleans

The Rev. William Lawrence told the United Methodist News Service that anyone in the church can bring a charge against anyone else. While complaints against laypersons in the church are not uncommon, a formal complaint bringing charges is rare.

The categories listed in Paragraph 2702.3 of the Book of Discipline are all chargeable offenses for a member of the Church. A church trial and expulsion of a lay member is possible, but the process is long.

Lawrence told UMNS that he was "not aware of any circumstance in 50-year history of The United Methodist Church when a complaint against a lay person moved beyond the stage of its resolution by a district superintendent or a pastor."

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