CANADA
Anglican Journal
STAFF
Police in South Delta, B.C., have seized “sensitive material” from the office of an Anglican youth pastor from Tsawwassen, B.C., who is currently in jail in Baja Peninsula, Mexico, over allegations of child sexual abuse.
Last July 15, Mexican authorities arrested Brad Firth, supervisor of youth activities at St. David’s church, for the alleged sexual assault in 2001 of a 14-year-old boy who attended a Bible camp at a church in the city of Ensenada. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Firth was in Mexico with a team of teens and and
adults from the diocese who went to Tijuana to help a church-run orphanage.
‘Our concern is for the protection of our children and to ensure a fair trial we are trying to be as responsible with the information as possible, and everyone in the congregation is called to do the same.’
Rev. Paul Woehrle, rector of St. David’s church, said that members of his congregation have been “traumatized” by recent media reports about Mr. Firth’s arrest and the seizure of material from his offices. He told Anglican Journal that concerns were raised over the fact that newspapers had carried photographs of Mr. Firth showing him with some children and youth of the community.