VA- Indicted child molesting clergyman to speak at VA church

For immediate release: April, 2, 2014 

Statement by Becky Ianni, Virginia SNAP Director, [email protected], 703-801-6044

The former pastor of Richmond Outreach Center, who has been indicted by the grand jury for sexually assaulting kids, is scheduled to speak on Good Friday at a local Baptist church.

We are outraged that this man, Geronimo Aguilar, who has been charged with sexually abusing two children, will soon give a talk at Cedar Street Baptist Church as part of a special Easter event. His participation in this panel of pastors will rub salt into the wounds of those victims and their families who have already suffered so much. 

A horrific message is being sent to other victims: "If you come forward and your perpetrator is arrested, the church will still honor him and disregard your pain." And a disturbing message is being sent to other child molesting clerics: "You can take the innocence of a child but still be retain your title of pastor and be able to preach at special events."

We urge Cedar Baptist Church to reconsider letting “Pastor G” to preach at the Rush Hour to Calvary on Good Friday. We hope that the other pastors scheduled to preach will refuse to do so unless Aguilar is removed from the lineup. We encourage anyone who may have been harmed by or who has any information about harm done by Aguilar to contact the police. Only when victims and witnesses speak out are children safer.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])


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