An honest reckoning

Church Abuse and Jesus

The sexual abuse of children by clergy, and the institutional cover-up that hid it for decades, are among the most grievous betrayals in the history of the church. If you were harmed, we want to say this first and plainly: it was not your fault, it was not God's will, and what was done to you was a crime and a sin against you. Nothing here will minimise that. And this is worth knowing: the fiercest words Jesus ever spoke were against those who harm children, and he stands with you, not with those who hurt you.

A word to survivors, first

If this page finds someone who was abused, please hear this before anything else. You were not to blame. You did not deserve it. The shame belongs to the one who harmed you and to everyone who covered for them, never to you. If you are in danger or a child is, contact the authorities and the police; abuse is a crime, and reporting it is right. You can also reach out through when the church has hurt you and spiritual abuse. You are believed here.

What happened

Across denominations, children were sexually abused by clergy and trusted leaders, and again and again the institutions that should have protected them protected the abusers instead. In the Catholic Church, investigations from the 2002 Boston revelations to the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury exposed decades of abuse and of bishops quietly moving offenders from parish to parish. It was not only one church: in 2022 an independent investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention found that its leaders had for years dismissed and silenced survivors. The cover-up compounded the crime. This is not to be softened, spiritualised, or explained away.

The complexity, honestly

Honesty here is careful, because nothing must become an excuse. It is true that abuse occurs in every kind of institution, families, schools, sports, and that predators seek access to children wherever they can find it. But that is not a defence of the church; it is an indictment of an added betrayal. The church claimed the name of Christ, claimed to guard the little ones, and too often chose its own reputation over their safety. It is also true that survivors, advocates, and many faithful Christians have fought hard for accountability, mandatory reporting, and reform. That work honours the victims; it does not balance the ledger.

Where Jesus stands

Make no mistake about which side Jesus is on. The gentlest man in the Gospels spoke with terrifying severity about anyone who would harm a child, and he drew children to himself against those who tried to keep them away.

The abuser and the one who hides the abuse are exactly the people Jesus warned. He is not on their side. He is on the side of the child.

Frequently asked questions

Was the abuse the survivor's fault?

No. Never. The fault belongs entirely to the abuser and to those who covered for them. If you were abused, it was a crime and a sin against you, not by you, and it was not God's will. Abuse should be reported to the authorities; it is a crime.

How widespread was church abuse?

It spanned denominations. In the Catholic Church, investigations from Boston in 2002 to the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury exposed decades of abuse and cover-up, and a 2022 independent report found the Southern Baptist Convention's leaders had silenced survivors for years. The scale and the cover-up are documented and grave.

What does Jesus say about those who harm children?

Jesus spoke of them with unmatched severity: better a millstone be hung around their neck and they be drowned in the sea than that they harm one child (Matthew 18:6). He stands with the wounded child, against the abuser and against everyone who hides the crime.