On June 21, 2022, Henry Lee Porter Sr., the former bishop of a Sarasota evangelical church, Westcoast Center for Human Development, began his week-long trial after he was arrested in 2020 for sexually abusing multiple children from as far back as 1989. According to media reports, after a 3-hour deliberation in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court on June 24, the jury found Henry Lee…
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Four Takeaways from the Stunning New Southern Baptist Abuse Report
For those unaware, a new and remarkable Southern Baptist Abuse Report was released this week at the Southern Baptist Convention, showcasing the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse over the past two decades. Conducted by a third-party investigator, the new Southern Baptist Abuse Report features almost 300 pages of allegations, cover-ups of reported sexual abuse cases, and an internal list of…
Top Reasons Why Suing the Church Can Ultimately Help It
This is what a hypothetical Q & A with a still-church-going Catholic who was abused by a priest, nun, seminarian, bishop, brother, or any other clerics when asked about suing the church. Q: If someone at your church abused you, don’t you want to sue them and stop it from happening again? A: “Sue my church? Heavens no! Surely there…
Jacksonville Pastor Paul Dyal Arrested For Alleged Sexual Abuse of Minors Over 4 Decades
Paul Dyal, a local Jacksonville pastor, was arrested on March 8, 2022, when services were harshly interrupted by a police raid at the Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ where Dyal was leading. Dyal, 78, was charged with sexual battery and is concluded that Dyal committed both long-term sexual and physical abuse of minors from 1976 to 2001. Dyal’s…
Homestead Priest Charged with Sexual Battery Stands Trial
The trial for a priest accused of raping his goddaughter and parishioner has started this week. Fr. Jean Claude Philippe is charged with sexual battery of a helpless victim after he allegedly drugged and assaulted the victim. Detectives say Fr. Philippe partially confessed to raping the victim when they approached him months after the event took place. Shortly after his…
Buffalo Bishop Lists Some Bad Jesuits But Ignores Others
A few weeks ago, on this blog, we were highly critical of the Diocese of Buffalo Catholic officials and how they’re handling abuse cases. So let’s be charitable now and start on a high note: To its credit, unlike some other dioceses, the Buffalo Catholic diocese includes religious order offenders on its ‘credibly accused’ list. https://buffalodiocese.org/abuse-response/ (Some church ‘accused’ lists…
Religious Liberty Doesn’t Mean What A Lot Of People Think It Means
Tomorrow, the US Supreme Court will hear yet another case involving ‘religious liberty.’ https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-court-lgbt/lgbt-and-religious-rights-collide-in-u-s-supreme-court-foster-care-case-idINKBN27J1JK ‘Religious liberty.’ What a nice phrase. Who could be against it? But like many a pleasant-sounding phrase, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Let’s start with motive. You might think religious liberty advocates want the ability to practice their beliefs without discrimination or obstacles.…
Associate Pastor From Vero Beach Church Arrested For Sex With a Minor
Wesley Ray Weaver, a 48-year old Associate Pastor at the First Christian Church in Vero Beach, has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year old boy. According to the West Melbourne Police Department, the two had sex at Weaver’s home in West Melbourne. The child reported the encounter to law enforcement after Weaver allegedly made comments to the…
Stuart, Florida Youth Pastor Sentenced For Distributing Child Porn
Jeffrey Brian Mobley, a former youth pastor at The Grace Place in Stuart, Florida has plead guilty and been sentenced by a federal judge to forty-five years in prison for the production and distribution of child pornography. According to the criminal complaint, in September 2015, a report was made to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office concerning Mobley and a girl who was under…