Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning has announced that the Episcopal Church has reached an agreement to settle the Church's civil suits against former treasurer Ellen Cooke and her husband, Nicholas.

In January 1995 the Church discovered financial irregularities and confronted Mrs. Cooke, who had resigned earlier as treasurer at the request of the Presiding Bishop. A subsequent audit contended that she had embezzled $2.2 million. She pleaded guilty in January at a federal court hearing in Newark and will be sentenced April 29.

Presiding BIshop Browning released an announcement agreed to by both parties and contained in the settlement itself:

"The Church has reached an agreement with Ellen F. Cooke to resolve all claims the Church has against Mrs. Cooke. The agreement settles all claims between the Church and Mrs. Cooke, and related claims asserted against her husband, Nicholas T. Cooke, III. The agreement includes transfer by Mr. and Mrs. Cooke to the Church of substantially all of their liquid assets valued at approximately $100,000 and delivery to the Church of tangible personal property of the Church of which Mrs. Cooke had been in possession. The terms of the agreement will not be further publicised, but the Church is satisfied that the settlement is in the Church's best interest under all the circumstances of this case."

The Presiding Bishop told the House of Bishops at its recent meeting in Kanuga that he is convinced that "we are near the end of this long and painful experience." The Church's insurance company paid a claim of $1 million and the Cookes turned over to the Church two "valuable pieces of real estate," the Presiding Bishop Browning said.

The Church is pursuing "additional lines of potential recovery" that do not involve the Cookes, according to Bishop Browning, and he said that he would report on the results to the bishops at their fall meeting.