Believers are known for their evangelistic efforts, including knocking on doors and distributing literature in public spaces. Members will not bear arms, salute a national flag or participate in secular politics. The international Christian denomination, founded in the Pittsburgh area more than a century ago and headquartered in New York state, claims 8.7 million members worldwide, including 1.2 million in the United States. “There’s nothing unique or particular about this faith that makes it prone to any kind of misconduct,” he said. “I would say if the only place you’re looking for records of child sexual abuse is with one organization, then of course all the prosecutions that come are going to be about that one organization,” Haverstick said. Haugh said he’s been in regular contact with investigators from Henry’s office, most recently in March.Īttorney Matt Haverstick confirmed recently that his law firm is representing Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations around Pennsylvania on unspecified matters that are “very active right now.” Haugh said to his knowledge, this is the first time an investigation of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been done on this scale in any U.S. Haugh said elders told him he could report it but asked, “Do you really want to bring reproach on Jehovah’s name?” When Haugh became an elder, he said, he learned of four other cases in his congregation that members weren’t alerted about. He said he didn’t report the abuse to authorities. Haugh said he also testified about how his daughter was molested at his congregation in 2005 - and that he later learned that elders knew the perpetrator had a history of abuse when he joined the congregation but didn’t warn parents. Martin Haugh of York Haven, Pennsylvania, a former elder who left the church in 2016, said he has spoken for hours to investigators, both inside and outside of the grand jury proceedings, about the structure of the denomination and how it handles cases of child abuse. “They were very interested in not only individual cases but in systemic concerns regarding the reporting of child abuse,” said Mark O’Donnell of Parkville, Maryland, a former church member who said he appeared twice before the grand jury. Dozens of witnesses have testified before the secret grand jury in Harrisburg or provided information to the attorney general’s office, and some report that investigators have exhibited keen interest in how the church has responded to molestation allegations. ![]() The grand jury probe began with a referral from a county district attorney who believed the state’s greater resources were needed. ![]() He said the second-witness rule applies only to internal church discipline and that elders comply with reporting laws, even when there is not a second witness. Critics also say the church has often required a second witness for complaints, a standard that can be impossible to meet in cases of molestation.Ĭhurch spokesman Jarrod Lopes said otherwise - that the church does recognize abuse as a crime and that members have the right to report sexual assault to authorities. Asked whether her office was looking into the Jehovah’s Witnesses as an organization, Henry replied it was an ongoing investigation.Ĭritics say church elders have treated child sexual abuse as a sin rather than a crime, carefully documenting cases in internal files but not reporting allegations to authorities and sometimes letting the accused remain active in their congregations with access to children from unsuspecting families.
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