Top Southern Baptists plan to release secret list of abusers

(AP) — Southern Baptist leaders say they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and church-affiliated staff members accused of sexual abuse.

A cross and Bible sculpture stand outside the Southern Baptist Convention headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. On Tuesday, top administrative leaders for the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in America, said that they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse. (AP Photo/Holly Meyer)

The announcement comes two days after a scathing 288-page report by Guidepost Solutions that detailed how the committee mishandled sex abuse allegations and stonewalled numerous survivors.

Administrators also say they will look into revoking retirement benefits for committee staffers who were involved in the cover-up.

Survivors and advocates have long called for a public database of abusers.

One of the key recommendations of the report is to create an “Offender Information System.”

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