The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s main Protestant church, the religious organization said Friday, which a recent independent report accused of practicing disability and concealment in the face of sexual assault
“The Board of Directors of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has learned that the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the SBC and that this investigation will involve several entities,” said a press release from the organization, specifying that it intends to work with the authorities ” to work together fully.”
“The leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have shown an unwavering determination to address past mistakes and take action to ensure they are never repeated in the future,” the church continued.
An independent investigative report commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention concluded in May that for nearly two decades, suspected victims of sexual assault and those who have sought to speak out within the church have responded to “resistance, disability and… even met open hostility” from members of the Church the Executive Committee.
This sex scandal, which involved nearly 400 pastors, volunteers and educators who assaulted more than 700 victims, was brought to light in 2019 thanks to investigations by two Texas dailies, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.
In June, the religious body announced the launch of tools to combat sexual assault, notably the release of a database publicly listing SBC members accused of sexual abuse and the establishment of a crisis unit to implement reforms combat these attacks.
The church had also released a 205-page document listing its members who have been accused of sexual violence since 2007.
The Southern Baptist Convention, with a network of thousands of churches, has over fifteen million members, mostly in the southern United States.