CANADA
Waterloo Region Record
Editorial
In the 21 years since Vernon Leis died in a car crash, his reputation as a wise and caring Mennonite pastor has stood as the shining monument to his life.
Now, in the space of a few days, vague allegations of sexual and moral wrongdoing publicly brought against this local clergyman threaten to bring that monument crashing down.
To see this disturbing and distasteful spectacle playing itself out is to feel the pain that must be felt by the family of a man who was a beloved senior church official as well as a respected public figure in Waterloo Region before his death at the age of 60. It is also to question why so few words that could cause so much harm would be spoken against a dead man who cannot defend himself.
The Kitchener-based Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada says it was all about transparency when it tersely announced it had received “an allegation of sexual and ethical misconduct” against Leis that was “compelling and credible.” Pastors at three churches where Leis had served in Elmira, Kitchener and Tavistock repeated these accusations to congregants on Aug. 30.
To be fair to the Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada, it acted after interviewing the female complainant, and argued it had gone public with the accusations “to confront a hidden truth and bring it into the light for healing.” We have no doubt it is trying to do the right thing.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.