Southern Baptist Church To Release List of Ministers Accused of Sexual Abuse
Southern Baptist Church To Release List of Ministers Accused of Sexual Abuse
Southern Baptist Church To Release List of Ministers , Accused of Sexual Abuse .
The secret list of 703 suspected abusers had been complied by a member of the Southern Baptist executive committee.
Its existence was revealed in a report published by an independent investigator on May 22.
The report revealed that top members of the Southern Baptist executive committee were aware of the list.
Promptly releasing that list is in our best interest, it’s important, it is of immediate concern to the public and to the survivor community, Gene Besen, Southern Baptist Executive Committee Counsel, via 'The New York Times'.
... and we need to do it right away, Gene Besen, Southern Baptist Executive Committee Counsel, via 'The New York Times'.
In a recent interview, the interim counsel for the executive committee stated that it was working to make the list public.
We’re going to err on the side of making the list public as quickly as we can, Gene Besen, Southern Baptist Executive Committee Counsel, via 'The New York Times'.
Survivors of abuse at the hands of church leaders expressed frustration at how long it took for the list to be made public.
All these years when I was doing advocacy work, constantly pleading with them to create a database of credibly accused clergy sex abusers, , Christa Brown, Activist, via 'The New York Times'.
... and over and over, endlessly and constantly the response was, ‘We can’t do it.’, Christa Brown, Activist, via 'The New York Times'.
Lo and behold, they’re keeping a list and simply keeping it secret, Christa Brown, Activist, via 'The New York Times'.
The church has also reversed its stance on engaging with survivors.
[Engaging with survivors is] a critical step toward healing our Convention from the scourge of sexual abuse... , Southern Baptist Executive Committee, via 'The New York Times'.
... and working to avoid its continued impact on our loved ones, their families and our network of churches, Southern Baptist Executive Committee, via 'The New York Times'
