New Britain herald., 1928-05-18
BISHOP BAST NOT
 ID REMAIN HERE
Plans to Return to Copenhagen
 at Once

Kansas City, May IS R}-Dcmoted from the Episcopacy 10 the ministry by Methodist Episcopal church court. Bishop Anton Bast plans to return to his home in Copenhagen without appealing to 1hs judiciary committee of the generaEsonferencc of the church here, hopeful of ob-r taining a pastorate there.
 My, call is still to preach,' he said. They left me my religion. and I am happy in that precious posses esson.''-+~ -s
 First. of his rank. ever to appea, : before a tribunal of ",he church. Bishop East was unfrockcd when the court found him guilty of charges of inprlldnnt and unminis- terjal conduct and of imprudent conduct
 He was found 10 have been guilty of persistent imprudent conduct" with Mrs. Ellen Ncdcl wife of a Danish government official and 10 have converted to his own use profits from q church magazine he pub lshed
 Referring to evideuce that the bishop had accompanied Mrs Nedcl on yachting trips, thet% court held thls had "causcd unfavorable con- E1ent. injury to his influence and to the church Of the Copenhagen area The church disciplinary code speci- lies ministers should converse spar nc1, ly with Nomen'
 With the bishop already under suspension from his area by decree of church court at The Hague in 1927 after his conviction by a Dan- ish civil tribunal on a technical charge, the r ministers who tried him here permitted him to continue his membership in the church and the ministry. They commented that adequate provision be made for his support pending sueh action as may be taken at the next annual meeting of the Denmark conference. That conference must give him q pastorate unless he is tried and un- froclled by that body,
 While the verdict was read at the Quadrennial General conference of the church here yesterday. this was done merely as a matter of inforrna- tion. The only recourse ,forsthe sus- pended bishop. so far as the general conference is concerned. would be an appeal to the judiciary ycoh1miftee
 In my heart I still know T. am innocent" the suspended Bishop said, For some time have fore eeen such 3 verdict might come. be cause the church would not care to establish the precedent of going against secular decisions.
 Will appeal? No. because l have | faltA in the Methodist Episcopal chuEch And having faith in my ,hurch 1t naturally follows that I i hayt faith in the good men Uho sat on the trial board, They acted as they thought their duty directed. | have no ill feeling toward anyone. IT have no complaint to make.
 Am I not still q member of the | Methodist Episcopal church and a minister in the church" Surely if the | trial board had thought me bad I nan--very bad--lt would have de- prived me of such church fellow shIp.'
 Conviction of Bishop Bast left 1 complaints pending against Bishops ! Edgar Blake of Paris and John l. Nuelsen of Zurich, Switzerland. who | took over supervision of the Copen- l hagen area following their brother prelate'e suspension. The complaints, filed by the Rev. Andrew W. | shamel of Pasadena. Cal, charge Bishops Blake and Nuelsen withheld ! part of the facts in their formal re- port of the Bast case to the church. |
 The bishops are said to have re- ported that Bishop East had obtain ed moral victory. as his conviction in the Danish civil court was ob- tained on technical count regard ing deficit in funds received from his magazine, The Lighthouse"
 He was charged with misuse of charity funds, but this indictment never was sustained
 Bishop East said he would rest here few days before starting for Copenhagen.