Source: dailyjournal.com 10/16/24 The deal, subject to approval from all the plaintiffs, would provide compensation to 1,353 victims. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse. With the $740 million paid to victims in 2007, the church has now agreed to pay a record $1.5 billion. “It’s been a long time coming and a huge amount and work to get to this point. I’m convinced that the archdiocese has done everything they could to make this thing work and compensate clients.…
Read MoreTag: Church
SC: Church fires long-time pastor after finding out he was convicted 27 years ago of sex offense
Source: chvnradio.com 7/19/24 A church in South Carolina just fired their pastor after finding out some disturbing information about him regarding an assault on a 14-year-old girl. Pastor Donald _____ has been fired from his position at Eternal Church in Fort Mill, SC, in the U.S.A. It was recently revealed that Donald is a registered sex offender convicted of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl, an incident that took place 27 years ago. … The Eternal church elders shared that a few leaders were aware of Donald ’s criminal past.…
Read MoreGA: If I Join a Church After Prison, How Much of My Past Is Safe to Disclose?
Source: filtermag.org 10/25/23 Last Sunday, I tried to work up the courage to go to church. I did some Googling of the churches sprinkled around the Georgia county where I currently live. There are dozens; I could take my pick. But when I think about meeting a new congregation, I freeze. Do I introduce myself as trans? As someone who just got out of prison? As a registered sex offender? Or do I make up some story that’s easier? In September I was released, after 13 years in Georgia Department…
Read MoreShould We Welcome Sex Offenders into Our Churches?
Source: christianitytoday.com 10/5/23 One pastor and his staff considered whether their congregation should accept people with a history of abuse. On Sunday mornings at New York Chinese Alliance Church, where I pastor, several different ethnic congregations come to listen to God’s Word in their mother tongues. Parents drop off their youngsters for children’s worship and Sunday school. Youth gather for fellowship and Bible study. Our seasoned ushers always try to welcome every familiar face and newcomer into the house of God with a warm smile. And while their primary goal…
Read MoreMD: Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland
Source: apnews.com 4/5/23 BALTIMORE (AP) — More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups. The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country and spans much of Maryland. Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same…
Read MoreWorking with sex offenders in your congregation Zoom Seminar 4/27/23
Source: gcsynod.org 3/31/23 Barbara Keller, Consultant for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct at ELCA, is leading a one hour zoom seminar for rostered ministers on “How to Work with Sex Offenders in Your Congregation.” Thursday, 4/27/23, 1pm MST/PDT, noon MDT. Register by emailing kate.schnaath@elca.org. Participants who have additional questions can remain on zoom to ask questions. They will receive handouts and zoom information, the call will be recorded for future use. Read the full page
Read MoreIL: Anglican church informs parishioners of sex offender attendee after three years
Source: religionnews.com 12/6/22 Church of the Resurrection, an Anglican church that serves as a diocesan seat in Wheaton, Illinois, whose leaders have faced criticism for how they handled sexual abuse allegations, informed congregants Friday (Dec. 2) that a registered sex offender has been attending the church since 2019. “We take with utmost seriousness the presence of someone who has committed a significant crime and will continue to show extreme care in the future,” Church of the Resurrection cathedral dean Steve Williamson wrote in an email to church members. … Hays…
Read MoreAZ: Judge limits privilege defense in AZ Mormon sex abuse case
Source: msn.com 8/19/22 An Arizona judge overseeing a high-profile lawsuit accusing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of conspiring to cover-up child sex abuse has ruled that the church may not refuse to answer questions or turn over documents under the state’s “clergy-penitent privilege.” Clergy in Arizona, as in many other states, are required to report information about child sexual abuse or neglect to law enforcement or child welfare authorities. But an exception to that law — the privilege — allows members of the clergy who learn of…
Read MoreSouthern Baptists Refused to Act on Abuse, Despite Secret List of Pastors
UPDATED 5/24/22: Southern Baptist leaders say they will release list of alleged sex abusers [washingtonpost.com] Source: christianitytoday.com 5/22/22 Armed with a secret list of more than 700 abusive pastors, Southern Baptist leaders chose to protect the denomination from lawsuits rather than protect the people in their churches from further abuse. Survivors, advocates, and some Southern Baptists themselves spent more than 15 years calling for ways to keep sexual predators from moving quietly from one flock to another. The men who controlled the Executive Committee (EC)—which runs day-to-day operations of the…
Read MorePA: Sharpsville church ‘disfellowshipped’ over pastor’s criminal past
[wkbn.com – 3/2/21] SHARPSVILLE, Pa. (WKBN) – A pastor in Sharpsville committed a crime long ago. Because of it, his church has been expelled from a prestigious national organization. The church is West Side Baptist, which was “disfellowshipped” last week by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Baptist and Protestant denomination in the United States. The church is located on East Main Street in Sharpsville. It was expelled or disfellowshipped because of its pastor David Pearson. … The statement from West Side Baptist also claimed that…
Read MorePA: Pastor’s criminal past doesn’t bother members of his church
[wpxi.com – 2/25/21] MERCER COUNTY, Pa. — A pastor in Mercer County is a registered sex offender, but the church is not only aware of his past, it also doesn’t seem to be concerned. David ____is the senior pastor at West Side Baptist Church in Sharpsville and is listed on Florida’s sex offender registry. Read the full article
Read MoreID: 9th Circuit Reverses Trial Court Rulings Regarding Ex Post Facto, Religious Freedom
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that a federal trial court erred when it dismissed a case involving 134 registrants in Idaho who claimed that the state’s sex offender laws violated their civil rights. In its ruling today, the Court opened up the possibility that the Idaho laws at issue violated both the federal and state constitutions. One of the claims in the case is that the state’s sex offender laws violate the ex post facto provision of the U. S. Constitution. Many of the state laws at…
Read MoreShould your church accommodate known offenders?
[churchexecutive.com – 11/30/20] Our church just completed a Registered Sex Offender (RSO) Policy. Will you review it and tell us if it’s adequate? We frequently encounter this (seemingly simple) question in our law practice. In reality, the issue is multi-faceted and complex, and tends to kick off a broader discussion. In the larger conversation, this ‘simple’ query should be preceded by a half-dozen more pertinent questions before putting RSO policies in place. This writing’s purpose is to posit the topics a church should evaluate before offering ministry services to known…
Read MoreTX: Texas church expelled from Southern Baptist Convention for hiring registered sex offender as pastor
[tennessean.com – 2/18/20] The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee expelled a Texas church Tuesday for employing a pastor who is a registered sex offender. The 80-plus member body, which acts on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention when it is not in session, took a vote to disfellowship Ranchland Heights Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, during its regularly scheduled meeting in Nashville. Ranchland Heights is “no longer to be considered in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention,” said the Rev. Mike Stone, chairman of the Executive Committee. Read the full article
Read MoreTN: Tennessee bill would allow sex offenders to attend churches under certain conditions
[komonews.com – 1/27/20] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) –Legislation proposed in the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday would allow sexual or violent sex offenders to attend church or another house of worship under certain circumstances. HB 1922 was filed by Representative Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain). Under the bill, the offender would be allowed to attend houses of worship for religious services or to receive educational or social support services. Read the full article
Read MoreMore churches are checking the national sex offender registry. Is it helping?
[religionnews.com – 7/30/19] Since they were first offered an opportunity to pool their resources and buy background checks on volunteers and employees at a discount 11 years ago, about a third of Southern Baptist churches have signed up for the OneSource program from LifeWay Christian Resources. Earlier this year, LifeWay reported that 16,000 congregations and other church organizations ran background checks on men and women it hired through a service called backgroundchecks.com. (The Southern Baptist Convention has so far resisted calls to set up a database of its own, saying…
Read MoreSouthern Baptist leaders plan to remedy ‘insufficient’ approach to abuse claims
[upi.com – 6/4/19] Southern Baptists hope to take steps at their upcoming annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., to address continuing reports of sexual abuse in their denomination … The document also included a list of ways for state and regional groups to help churches handle sex offenders, including developing a covenant that, if violated, would limit their church attendance or access to church property. Easter said she considers offenders to be too dangerous to be permitted in a church gathering. “Predators should be ministered to by trained professionals separate from…
Read MoreChurches Under Fire for Allowing Sex Offenders to Attend Services
[pjmedia.com – 3/7/19] Several churches within the Churches of Christ denomination have come under fire for allowing sex offenders to attend services. Critics accuse those churches of failing to care for the victims. Defenders claim that those who are truly repentant should not be turned away. Most likely, this is a debate that is going to find its way into all denominations because the problem of sexual abuse is baring its ugly soul across denominational lines. The sexual abuse of minors is especially heinous. There is something about the betrayal…
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