MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A clergymember became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church Aug. 6, after being cleared of 11th-hour allegations of misconduct.

The bishop leading the inquiry into the Rev. V. Gene Robinson was set to report on the results of his preliminary investigation before the vote was taken. James Solheim, a church spokesperson, said the vote would not have gone forward if Robinson hadn’t been cleared of the allegations.

Sixty-two of the 107 bishops voted to approve Robinson’s election. Forty-five voted against.

Allegations emerged Aug. 4 that Robinson had inappropriately touched a man and that he is connected to a group whose website can indirectly link users to pornography.

Bishop Gordon Scruton of Western Massachusetts conducted the preliminary inquiry to determine whether the claims were credible enough to warrant a full investigation.

The claims came to light just as bishops from around the country who had gathered for the church’s national meeting were to start considering whether to confirm Robinson.

The gathering was thrown into turmoil after several days of intense debate over whether Robinson’s election would strengthen or shatter the church. Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has been living with his male partner for 13 years.

Robinson’s supporters had called the timing of the allegations suspicious. His opponents had acknowledged they helped bring forward the website claim against him.

The claim of inappropriate touching was e-mailed to Vermont Bishop Thomas Ely by David Lewis of Manchester, Vermont. A family friend said that Lewis never intended the allegations to go public.

Speaking at a news conference in Manchester, Lou Midura said Lewis sent the e-mail so it could be conveyed privately to other bishops, not debated in the media. Other bishops received the e-mail as well.

Separate concerns were raised about Robinson’s connection to the website of Outright, a secular outreach program for GLBT youth that Robinson helped found.

Bishops learned of the porn link claim from David Virtue, a conservative Anglican activist and writer who has been among the harshest critics of Robinson and of Episcopal gay activists. Virtue said a bishop whom he would not identify alerted him to the link.

A member of the group’s board of directors said Robinson hasn’t been involved with the group for several years and had no role in developing its webpage.

The link is on an unaffiliated site that had resources for gay youth, Baxley said. That page provided resources for bisexuals that, a few links away, provided access to porn.

Robinson was elected by his diocese in June. On Aug. 3, the House of Deputies, a legislative body comprised of clergy and lay people from dioceses nationwide, approved Robinson by a 2-to-1 margin; a committee endorsed him by secret ballot Aug. 1.

The final vote he needed in the House of Bishops came Aug. 6.