Sexual assault crosses denominational lines

Clergy sexual abuse isn’t just a Catholic problem — although the Oscar-nominated movie “Spotlight” revealed the story of the Boston Globe’s 2001 expose of pedophile priests and the cover up in the Catholic Church. The journalists investigated Father John Geoghan, who was accused of molesting more than 80 boys. According to an article on the website of the United Methodist Church, “Sexual misconduct within ministerial relationships is a betrayal of sacred trust. It is a continuum of sexual or gender-directed behaviors by either a lay or clergy person within a ministerial relationship (paid or unpaid). It can include child abuse, adult sexual abuse, harassment, rape or sexual assault, sexualized verbal comments or visuals, unwelcome touching and advances, use of sexualized materials including pornography, stalking, sexual abuse of youth or those without capacity to consent, or misuse of the pastoral or ministerial position using sexualized conduct to take advantage of the vulnerability of another…” www.umc.org/

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