The Episcopal Church USA approved the election of its first openly gay bishop Tuesday night, but not before some 11th hour accusations emphasized the scrutiny now given to members of the clergy accused of sexual misconduct.

In a Sunday night e-mail, David Lewis, a church member from Vermont, accused the Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire of "inappropriately" touching him at a church meeting in 1998. A church investigator determined the touching consisted of Robinson briefly putting his hand on Lewis' arm and back during a conversation that was held in full public view and was not considered harassment. A family friend said Lewis told him he never intended his comment to be taken as a formal complaint against Robinson.

Robinson's opponents also tried to discredit him by connecting him with a secular Web site for gay youth after it was found to include links to an erotic Web site. Investigators quickly found he had nothing to do with either Web site.

But whether priest, bishop or layman, accusations of sex abuse need to be investigated promptly, and the accused given a chance to defend himself.

The recent sexual scandals in the Roman Catholic Church have shown how important it is that such investigations be thorough and that the institutions be accountable. In those cases, abusive priests were only the beginning of the problem. Things got worse because bishops and other church leaders ignored allegations, covered up abuse and dumped offending clergy on other dioceses.

The last-minute accusations in the Robinson case briefly recast the fierce debate of whether an openly gay priest should be made bishop. A divorced father of two, Robinson has lived with a gay partner for 13 years. His diocese and the House of Deputies had already approved him when the accusations surfaced Sunday. That postponed a final vote of the House of Bishops that had been scheduled for Monday. The bishops confirmed him on Tuesday 62-45. We are not passing judgment on Robinson. Churches may differ in their sense of God's will, natural law and church leaders' qualifications when it comes to sexual orientation. But no organization can allow an accusation of sexual abuse or harassment to be ignored.