Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, said Friday that several of its entities are being investigated by the Justice Department, following a report that found the church had mishandled allegations of sexual abuse and mistreated victims. The Assembly did not provide details about the investigation, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the church’s executive committee said in a statement that it would fully cooperate with the investigation and “transparently address the scourge of sexual abuse.” An internal report commissioned by the Assembly and released in May found that allegations of sexual abuse by pastors and staff were either ignored or covered up by top clergy, a practice that has been going on for decades. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The Assembly, which has 13.7 million members, has since issued a formal apology for the abuse and released a list of hundreds of offenders who have had criminal convictions, had court orders against them or confessed to their actions. In its statement, the Assembly’s executive committee said the Justice Department’s investigation “will involve multiple SBC entities.” Each entity is determined to fully and fully cooperate, he added. “Leaders across the SBC have demonstrated a firm commitment to address these past issues and are implementing measures to ensure they never happen again in the future,” it said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reported by Rami Ayyub. Editor: Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
