HealthQuiet 48d · day 50
ProPublica investigation exposes systemic abuse cover-up in Old Apostolic Lutheran Church
A Minnesota prosecutor's tip led to a podcast and reporting showing how the insular church systematized silence around child sexual abuse.
What to know
- ProPublica's investigation, initiated by a prosecutor's tip, uncovered systematic child sexual abuse in the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church and a pattern of church-enforced silence rather than accountability.
- The OALC, an insular tens-of-thousands-member Midwestern faith community with patriarchal structure, handled abuse allegations through a doctrine of forgiveness and forgetting rather than reporting to authorities.
- Multiple women reported similar abuse patterns, some occurring in church during services, with allegations reaching church leadership but resulting in no external reporting or intervention.
- The reporting was released as a podcast episode and accompanying investigation, achieving significant social media attention and raising questions about institutional accountability in insular religious communities.
Jessica Lussenhop ProPublica host and investigative journalistAndy Mannix ProPublica reporterMike Ryan Minnesota prosecutorOld Apostolic Lutheran Church Subject of investigation
The record 2 articles and posts · last 30 days
What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · verbatim
- Aug 8
-
P
As we dug into a little-known church, we started to see a pattern: women describing similar abuse; a preacher who knew what was going on. And the same prescription for the problem: forgiving and forgetting it happened. Listen to this episode of "Paper Trail":
- Aug 6
-
C
A tough-to-hear but incredibly important @propublica.org podcast episode dropped today: How “Forgive and Forget” Buried a Church’s Dark Secret