THE Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) is urging victims who have suffered abuse by clergymen to come forward with their stories and to not be afraid.

The call comes in light of an uptick in such cases in recent times, and also from concern that individuals have been suffering in silence lest they will not be believed.

“I urge all victims of clergy misconduct to use the avenues for reporting and redress which the State provides. But I would remind, especially those who are afraid to speak up [that] the vast majority of clergypersons are good and upright professionals, many of whom are highly trained and skilled. I urge these victims to reach out to one of these pastors who will be able to do for them what many pastors do daily. That is, to stand beside and walk with those who suffer and seek for ways to bring them relief,” Rev Newton Dixon, president of the JCC, told the Jamaica Observer in an interview.

Admittedly, he said these disturbing cases reflect badly on all churches and pastors.

“[They do], and we are quick to denounce misconduct among clergypersons, especially when children are the victims. This reflects badly on the churches because churches ought to be spaces where people feel safe and protected, where people can find healing and wholeness.”

Just last week, a 52-year-old minister of religion from Petersfield in Westmoreland was charged with rape and grievous sexual assault following a June 2019 incident in Retreat, St Mary. And in June, a 39-year-old pastor was charged with rape after reportedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his St James church. The pastor’s wife was also charged with taking steps to pervert the course of justice. The police said the woman is also facing other charges under the Child Care and Protection Act.

Yesterday, the Observer carried a story highlighting the fact that Jamaican churches are resorting to the opening of their doors to Government intervention, in an attempt to hold their members accountable. This follows sex scandals and the abuse of minors involving pastors, the churches said.

The Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches (JUGC), which accounts for more than 90 per cent of Jamaican Christians, told the Observer on Sunday that all churches in Jamaica should be properly registered or incorporated by an Act of Parliament.

Responding to criticisms by a number of Jamaicans who believe that churches have been too quiet in addressing crime and cases of abuse across the island, Dixon said there is a lot being done that is not publicised, as most churches do not engage in public relations.

“The church does an amazing amount of work in peace building, mediation, conflict resolution and in violence prevention and mitigation. But we don’t publish this, neither is the media usually predisposed to this kind of reportage. Pastors preach about it, speak out concerning it and make representations to the powers that be all the time,” he said.

“I shudder to think, for example, what places like Spanish Town would be like without the enduring engagement and involvement of the churches in that town. So, I urge every sceptic to do the research. They might be pleasantly and positively surprised at the level of activity and the extent of the advocacy of the church on crime and other related matters.”

And, addressing calls for a National Day of Prayer in light of the uptick in murders, the reverend said the church has always understood its role in society as being a multifaceted one.

“First, we affirm our trust in God as our starting point. This calls us to prayer and the provision of pastoral care. Further, on matters of advocacy, we see our role as being prophetic; that is, to speak and present the mind of God based on God’s word. Additionally, the church also has a diaconal mission; that is, to serve the communities in which we are located.”

Added Dixon: “So, on the matter of crime in particular, we feel that the underlying causes and concerns which lead to crime need urgent and sustained action alongside fervent prayer. That is why we have implemented programmes and projects that address issues such as mental health, food security, discrimination and stigmatisation, conflict resolution and mediation, the provision of support for families, violence and poverty alleviation, to name just a few.”

All of these issues have a relationship with crime and violence, Dixon said.

“To be more specific, it is this awareness of our call to service why we were actively engaged in the national consensus on crime and are now fully committed partners and participants in the CMOC (Crime Monitoring and Oversight Committee). In other words, we must pray, but we must call on our nation and its leaders to make credible interventions in the crime situation just as the church concurrently engages in that work as well. The apostle James clearly points out that ‘faith without work is dead’ in James 2 verse 20,” he said.

However, he underscored that an initiative such as a day of prayer would have some impact.

“There is no gainsaying the supreme value and place of prayer. So, we encourage and call on the nation to pray from time to time, both in times of distress as well as times of ease. But we must undergird our faith with concrete actions which confirm and embody that faith.”