The responses of evangelical churches to allegations of abuse have been vitiated by five factors: wrong expectations, wrong priorities, a wrong reading of biblical stories, a wrong approach to sin and crime, and a wrong view of love and justice.

Carolina Bueno, of the Spanish evangelical federation, says “zero tolerance” means that churches “must denounce and act” when there are signs of possible abuse. But such cases are “exceptional and not representative”, she clarifies.

The response to abuse in the context of evangelical churches “must be empathetic, firm, focused on the restoration of the damaged, not the prestige of a church institution”, says Marcos Zapata, president of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.

A large-scale police operation in Europe has led to the arrest of 79 people and 39 minors have been placed under protection. “There are real victims here, we must act to protect our children”.

Two victims denounced a leader of the church Comunidad Samaria and a member who was a minor at the time of the incidents. The regional evangelical council has joined the trial as a private prosecution.

The National Council of Evangelicals offers support to the victims. Most French evangelical organisations are part of the ‘Stop Abus’ service, launched in 2022, which has already helped 38 people.

“It is the result of the Roman Catholic Church covering up sexual scandals”, a study says. There were also almost 40,000 resignations among Reformed Protestants.

Apollo Quiboloy, leader of a controversial megachurch, was wanted by the Philippine and US justice for sex crimes and abuse. He has pleaded not guilty.

The project installed 10 video monitors in waiting areas with short messages to prevent exploitation. Nearly 80% of European victims of human trafficking come from Romania.

United Nations experts say Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking, child marriage, domestic servitude and sexual violence.

The National Council of Evangelicals in France strengthens its action to identify abuses and listen to victims from church contexts.

An independent commission documented cases since the 1950s. Eight in ten abusers were priests and most of the victims were boys aged 10-14.   

“The ‘loverboy’ method is used to manipulate future victims”, says Anca Luhas. She works in Romania with eLiberare to raise awareness among young people and train frontline workers in detecting sex trafficking situations.

This Mexican activist turned politician has fought sex trafficking in Mexico for almost 20 years. “The known as black brothels are strategic points to take over a city”, she says.

A pastor in Orleans got a 12-month suspended prison sentence. He reported the crime too late, the court says. There is no secrecy of confession for evangelical pastors.

Stop abus aims to “make our churches more welcoming and safer”, says the CNEF. Evangelicals had already released a guide of good practices to fight sexual abuse.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office blames unrestricted access to pornography for “highly sexualised behaviour at very early ages” and “incestuous sexual offences”.

Spanish evangelicals launch a campaign to raise awareness about a practice that offers young women “easy money” but leads to situations of coercion and abuse.

Despite receiving requests from victims for 15 years, and a secret list of 700 accused pastors, the SBC Executive Committee refused to act on it.

In January, Brian Houston had already taken a leave to prepare his defence in a trial for allegedly covering up a sexual assault case involving his father.

A new law will allow those involved in the so-called sex industry to have employment rights. Advertising and inciting prostitution remains illegal.

His wife has also been sentenced to two years in prison. The Evangelical Federation ratifies its policy of “zero tolerance” for any hint of abuse in church contexts.

Portugal receives over 100 complains of sexual abuses in only five days. An independent report in Germany on the cover-up of sexual abuse in Munich has also been published.

In an in-depth interview, British pastor and author Sam Allberry analyses the debates around sexual identity, freedom of speech, marriage, and abuse in Christian contexts. Watch the video.

We talk to Salvador Martí, a Christian police officer and creator of a safeguardind workshop for children.