MJ and her adoptive mother sit for an interview in Sierra Vista, Ariz., Oct. 27, 2021. State authorities placed MJ in foster care after learning that her father, the late Paul Adams, sexually assaulted her and posted video of the assaults on the internet.| Updated: 11:30 p.m.
as early as 2010. This negligence, the lawsuit argues, allowed Adams to continue abusing the girl for as many as seven years, a time in which he also abused the girl’s infant sister. Adams had also posted videos of himself sexually abusing his daughters on the internet, boasted of the abuse on social media, and confessed to federal law enforcement agents, who arrested him in 2017 with no help from the church.Those actions prompted Cochise County Superior Court Judge Laura Cardinal to rule Aug. 8, 2022, that Adams had waived his right to keep his 2010 confession to Bishop John Herrod secret.
On Dec. 15, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the church, saying it did not have to turn over disciplinary records for Adams, who was excommunicated in 2013. The Appeals Court also ruled that a church official who attended a church disciplinary hearing could refuse to answer questions from the plaintiffs’ attorneys during pretrial testimony, based on the clergy-penitent privilege.
BS,
Let's keep those psychiatrists and psychologist offices filled to the brim with dark sick dysfunction church family going on for generations. Let's just pretend it doesn't really exist at all. Instead, let's shine some bright light all over that big mess
Such BS!
Of course not, gotta keep that tithing rolling in. Can’t do that if the brothers are in prison.
Broken laws must be reported to protect our children
Fucken paywall
Jehovah's Witnesses love to hear it
The only protections in place should be for the abused. Period.
Is this ruling applied just to the bishop themselves? As in an lds bishop is not considered a mandated reporter? Like a Dr, therapist, etc. Or that the church cannot be held accountable for not reporting abuse to police? As in no one can sue them or any legal repercussions.
Groomers protect groomers
WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?
People child abuse and sexual assault is perfectly fine with the AZGOP ✅ got it
If they follow and serve Jesus then they should protect the children and not the abuser. If not, they're serving the Church of Mammon.
This is why you keep children away from the clergy. They will cover up sexual abuse in the church rather than report it.
What!!!!!
are they allowed to keep touching themselves? ::wait for applause and laughter to die down:: who would they report it too? what is the churches stance on rape? of kids? don't have to (tell), but can? poor kids divideandconquer
Extremely bad. The Church must denounce this and get ready to lose even more members. Simply beyond the pale
WHAT
Gross 🙃
As long as that ruling applies to all religions whose priests take confessions from congregants, then I'm okay with it.
Good! Because Church Clergy aren't psychologists.
nicholsforidaho
Sounds like the state of Arizona has some laws on the books that people don't like. And this article calls out the LDS church, for what reason? It seems like there's more clergy than just LDS bishops.
Then the LDS church cannot be what it claims to be, the True church of God. God would not protect child abusers nor prevent the report which would protect innocent potential victims. How preposterous.
Can’t yeet a poppyseed out of a uterus, but no obligation to report the sexual abuse of fully-developed, living, breathing children 🥲 we live in hell
Well maybe we should ask ourselves what's worse: child abuse or the church's liability? Makes you think
Really said fuck them kids
Can’t tell on your friends
Uh? No, that is unacceptable.
And we figured out that the hysterical reactions from people who should keep their nose to their own business causes far worse trauma to a child. Keep on keeping the church and state separate.
Bishops are instructed to call a sex abuse Help Line, which is actually a law office retained by the church to shield them from liability.
So, not drag shows.
Well why should they! 🤔
Deplorable
LDS👏🏾bishops👏🏾are👏🏾not👏🏾clergy👏🏾!!!
So, the LDS Church did nothing wrong all along. Where are the apologies from the AP, the Tribune and all the other Mormon haters?
I thought the GOP was super concerned about pedophilia and grooming….
They want to keep tithing money
What? WTF
I have nothing else to say, I'm furious
Mormans are freaks as always
Hey; fuck that
How sickening
If this was true, you would actually counsel your bishops to report abuse when they knew about it. Not only when it's legally required to report.
In states with mandatory reporting, aren’t there a lot less abusers going to clergy for help? If so, that would likely lead to MORE, not less, abuse. What do the statistics show for mandatory-reporting states versus those states where it’s not required?
if Bishops are required to report-why would ANYONE go and visit their Bishop? If Bishops don't have to report- nothing changes let's talk about schools, medical providers and neighbors I am pretty sure all of these good people probably have more contact with the family
Arizona is insane. How many judges on that panel are Mormon?
This is bad. LDSchurch should change their policy even if the law doesn’t make them
Family values? The bishop that keeps it a secret and that court are both disgusting.
Shame on them!!!
Ch_JesusChrist actually... This is going to be appealed and you are going to cooperate with FBI Thanks, and you know why 💖
Revolting
Groomers! 🤮
Stop 👏🏻 protecting 👏🏻 sexual 👏🏻 predators 👏🏻
Good
The law should protect nobody but the abused in these situations, just more conservative religious creeps protecting conservative religious creeps.
Hmm, why is everyone leaving? Where are they all going? 🙃
And the GAs agree with this decision. As does anyone who pays tithing or sustains the leaders of the church.
Breaking News: the SL Tribune is reducing resources so they only report on religious news.
No way to prevent this” says people enabling problem
Protecting pedos is what organized religions do.
I think instead of discouraging confession that a system should be established that actually encourages it, substituting treatment for draconian punishment if the person confesses.
And if you do require clergy to report crimes that have been confessed to them, who would confess their own crimes, knowing the dire consequences of doing so?
It is ludicrous to make law so complex that clergy have to consult their own attorneys before hearing confession.
The only ruling that makes any sense. You can’t have a special rule that pierces confessional confidentiality for only one crime. You either have confidentiality or you don’t.
Welcome to religion
so, technically, If a pedo priest takes a beating in a confession booth, it's ok with the police?
Huh. Secret combination much? I see no reason why anyone should be protected in such a situation. Protect the victims at all costs. Screw some flimsy excuse that the church is at legal risk.
No, that is wrong and bad.
SexAbuseAttys What the fuck!!
Not unusual the government protection of pedos.
Bishops need the flexibility to use discretion in these cases and people deserve the chance to repent.
The church is not there to help you in these situations or others like it. They’re asking you as a victim to save the person who abused you and help cover it up. That is more important to them than anything else.
WTAF
This is bullshit!
✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
So, you can just abuse children & the state will do nothing to protect them. GOPDomesticTerrorists
Disgusting!
Ridiculous! The only thing that should matter in these cases is the victim. Nothing else should matter.
I’m disgusted by the actions of my church.
Oh how they don’t report sexual abuse or domestic abuse. An entire family was murdered by their father a few months ago, church leaders knew about the abuse and did nothing. An entire family wiped out. The church is absolutely failing women and children
This is disgusting and asinine from every angle. From the AZ Supreme Court, the Bishops, the offenders, and the Mormon church. How many sex offenders will be let free and how many victims will never get justice or be protected? Mormons 🦗🦗🦗
The LDS Church has been fighting these child sexual abuse victims for yrs, to hide what the church knew abt their abuse. How much $$ has the LDS church paid attorneys to ensure these kids get nothing, after the church enabled yrs of abuse? The LDS church is morally corrupt.
That’s fucked up
“Unfortunately,” she said, “this ruling expands the clergy privilege beyond what the Legislature intended by allowing churches to conceal crimes against children.” That's messed up. Totally.
Leave it to the to misrepresent the facts. They are suggesting that ARS § 13-4062 prohibits reporting confessional material under clergy-penitent privilege. This is completely inaccurate. This statute is specifically regarding being examined as a witness and has nothing…
Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!! SJW's kick rocks!
What The FK 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Mormons are silent in the comments.
Try to think of it this way; if someone knows they can't stop doing what they're doing on their own but going to their bishop automatically results in police showing up at their door they're not going to seek help. Counterproductive to require reporting.
So much for putting the youth FIRST 😡
Gross
Cool religion
I say this is hog wash, the Mormon church will make the victim feel like it was all their fault. And the perpetrators will be hailed as heroes!
So status quo for when it comes to mormons protecting mormons, got it.
Pedophiliac religion. Wasn't their founder a pedophile?
I’m sure Jesus would approve.
Well that's fucked up...hey LDS...
I hope this goes all the way to the Supreme Court. They are not clergy. I thought Republicans want to protect children uber alles? Oh wait, that's just fetuses.
What other crimes should they be compelled to report?
Fucking gross
Terribly disappointing.
No No No!
Gross.
Protect the children
Calling Mormon bishops 'religious clergy' is about as flimsy a pretense as saying we have a representative government in Utah.
WTF?
I would expect nothing less from Mormon Bishops, terrible fucking people.
gotta protect their priesthood holder's. Can't let tithing dollars go to jail.
The moral majority ladies and gentlemen.
The don’t fo the confessional thing
What are they supposed to do then? Leave those children in an environment where they continue to be vulnerable and abused WTH!!
They said they don’t have a tolerance for it so we’re good.
Christ on a cracker! Seriously?
Why does the LDS church not require reporting at this point. Why is this even a question?!
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