MIDLAND (TX)
NewsWest9
By Jen Kastner
NewsWest 9
MIDLAND- On Tuesday, church leaders in Midland came together to start learning what they can do to make sure child sex abuse no longer happens inside their churches.
Gregory Love is a lawyer specializing in child sexual abuse. He thinks the rate of abuse in churches is going up. “I think it’s probably growing. I think just generally we find that the protective barriers in our churches are lower than other places. I think, unfortunately, sexual predators know that,” Love said.
Even organizer Hank Henry says, “The assumption is that [when] you’re in church, you’re in a safe environment. People are in there for a reason, which is to worship.”
Last Friday, NewsWest 9 first reported that 26 year-old William Velasquez confessed to performing oral sex on a boy who is only six years old. He reported it took place inside St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Midland.
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