Children in This Church Were Sexually Abused. Then They Began Abusing Other Kids. Some Continued as Adults.

ProPublica reports that a year-long investigation it conducted with the Minnesota Star Tribune has documented child sexual abuse spanning generations of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church across North America. Reporters interviewed twenty former members who said they were abused, along with parents of child victims, and examined police and court records. A common theme emerged: children who were victimized often repeated the behavior with other children, and in some cases went on to abuse others as adults. Church leaders who were told of alleged abuse failed to report it to authorities, and some victims were urged to forgive and move on. Two sisters who left the church twenty years ago told ProPublica they are still grappling with what happened to them, and have chosen to raise their own children outside the faith.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton