Archbishop James Wong shares his reactions to recent sexual abuse case |24 April 2020
What a sad piece of information, what a shock, we are all appalled to learn, in the midst of COVID-19, that three men had sexually abused 75 young girls from 2012 to 2019.
“The men, aged 33, 31 and 26, committed the offences between 2012 and 2019. The judgement in the case was handed down on Friday at the Supreme Court.
The men were convicted and sentenced to 25, 12 and 8 years’ imprisonment respectively on 26 sexual offence charges committed against children. They were convicted on counts including sexual assault, extortion, and possession of indecent photographs and of prohibited visual recordings.
All three pleaded guilty. The court believed that the men, along with other perpetrators still at large, may have abused up to 200 girls. The three men were not identified by the court; only their initials were made public.
“Chief Justice Mathilda Twomey, who delivered the judgement, said that the whole case was depressing and that she was shocked at the extent of the abuse.” (Seychelles News Agency)
Is the Church guilty, have we failed in our ministry? Yes and No. Yes, the Church has failed because I guess these three young men were most probably members of the Church. No, we have not failed because for some unknown reasons only 15-20% of the baptised are practising their faith.
In the world as in the Seychelles, we have become overwhelmed by the so-called sexual revolution of the 1960s. It has been romanticised and glorified out of all proportion. Sex is becoming accessible to all. Some primary and secondary school students are sexually active. We know of adolescent girls at college who are already mothers. Fornication is present in our society. Young men and women are living “en ménage” and have a sexual life outside of marriage. Lately our government repealed the law concerning sodomy and decriminalised it.
Some months ago we read about the arrest of the famous filmmaker, Harvey Weinstein, against whom there were numerous allegations of sexual assault.
All that which began in defiance of biblical principles has become the battle cry of those who say “If it feels right, do it – as long as nobody gets hurt.”
How ironic this over-emotional defence of immorality sounds in the light of its devastating legacy to the nation: hundreds of births outside wedlock, shattered personalities of our children, divorce, abortions, and rampant sexual diseases – some of which are incurable.
God expressly forbids irresponsible sexual behaviour, in order to spare us the disastrous consequences: “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord. . . . Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:13, 18, ESV). God condemns immorality, but He offers deliverance. In 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, the apostle Paul says that none of the sexually immoral will inherit the kingdom of God. But, he adds, “And such were some of you. But you were washed (born again), you were sanctified (cleansed), you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11, ESV). As with any other sin, God has dealt with immorality through the cross.
In our context, it is vital to protect the victims. We need to give them full support in terms of pastoral care, prayers for restoration, being non-judgemental and patronising. We need to encourage them to turn to God where healing can be found, to seek help from trustworthy persons in a place where they can come and share the pain they have endured so as to be freed emotionally, physically and mentally.
The Bible teaches the perpetrators that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23 ESV). The apostle Paul states that none of the sexually immoral will accede to God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV). However, Paul teaches that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 ESV). At the cross, Jesus was dealing with the sin of the whole world, theirs, yours and mine. We all need to acknowledge our sins, repent and ask for God’s forgiveness: “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5 ESV). You have done what is evil and have caused a lot of pain and sufferings. You need to repent of your evil actions and reconcile with your victims and God.
God does not condone sexual assault. He expressly forbids it. God loves His children and He has compassion on those who have been affected by this crime. If you have been a victim of sexual assault, be assured of the prayers of the Church. You are not alone, we give you our support and above all God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5 ESV).
Together for His glory,
The Most Revd James Wong Yin Song
Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Indian Ocean