The Southern Baptist Convention is under federal investigation after a report found leaders silenced sexual assault victims.
The investigation was confirmed by the convention in a statement, the Houston Chronicle reported.
SBC, the second-largest faith in America and the world’s largest Baptist denomination, came under fire after a damning review in May found that several of its leaders had purposely deterred sexual assault victims from coming forward, and pushed against reforms for over two decades. The probe will be conducted by the Department of Justice.
“Individually and collectively, each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation,” the statement by SBC said, according to the denomination’s Baptist Press.
“Our commitment to cooperate with the Department of Justice is born from our demonstrated commitment to transparently address the scourge of sexual abuse.”