[Independent Australia] The PM remains mute as his mentor, Pentecostal Pastor Brian Houston, is investigated for covering up child sexual abuse but demands Muslim leaders take responsibility for their communities’ criminal behaviour, writes Dr Jennifer Wilson.
IN HIS MAIDEN SPEECH, current Prime Minister Scott Morrison referred to evangelical Christian and Hillsong Church leader, Brian Houston, as his “mentor.”
The Prime Minister thanked Houston for his support and encouragement.
While Morrison no longer attends Hillsong he does attend Horizon, another Pentecostal church that along with Hillsong is affiliated with Australian Christian Churches — the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God.
In 2015, Brian Houston was censured by the Child Abuse Royal Commission for failing to report his father, Frank Houston, to police for the alleged sexual abuse of children in his church.
On Monday, three years after this censure, NSW Police confirmed that Brian Houston is being investigated by them after complaints that he failed to report his father’s crimes, instead, concealing them and urging church officials to refrain from publicly revealing the allegations in the interests of the institution’s reputation.
Hillsong Church is again under the spotlight as former member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church accuses leader of Hillsong Church of covering up his Pastor father's sexual abuse over many years.https://t.co/1NkhWQaODi
— Humanists Victoria (@vichumanist) November 20, 2018
In May 2018, Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson was found guilty in an NSW court of concealing child sexual abuse.
Abuse survivor Peter Gogarty said after the verdict:
“I think this will now open the doors for other jurisdictions to start looking at trying to prosecute people who deliberately looked after their institution and, literally, threw children to the wolves.”
It appears that Prime Ministerial mentor Brian Houston and the Hillsong Church may have “deliberately looked after their institution” and “thrown children to the wolves”. The current police inquiry will pursue this possibility.
