Photo: Pool/Getty Images Two former members of the Christian organization People of Praise has come forward with allegations of emotional trauma and sexual abuse, according to The Guardian. They were prompted to speak out after Amy Coney Barrett, a member of the group, was nominated to the Supreme Court earlier this month.
Kuehl said that as a 4-year-old child she was molested by a man who lived with her family as part of the group’s communal lifestyle. The abuse lasted for two years, and when her abuser admitted to the behavior, he was simply moved to another house. The People of Praise, which started in South Bend, Indiana, in the 1970s, has about 1,700 mostly Catholic members who tend to live in tight-knit communities. Its core tenets involve submitting to authority, a commitment to shared values that include anti-LGBTQ beliefs and practicing charismatic Christian traditions like speaking in tongues. It started in academic hubs like the University of Notre Dame, where Barrett taught for 18 years .
Kuehl says that when she tried to speak about the childhood abuse years later, her “handmaid” at the time told her not to “hurt the reputation of the community.”
She is not worthy of a seat on our highest court