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South Carolina church investigating student pastor
who gave teens ‘i ❤ hot youth pastors’ sticker
By Leonardo Blair,
Christian Post
Screengrab: Twitter/Emily Petrini
A South Carolina church has launched an investigation and placed its student pastor on administrative leave after outrage erupted online over stickers he gave to minors in his care that say, “i ❤️ hot youth pastors.”
Fairview Baptist Church said in a statement from deacons and their personnel team on Facebook Sunday that Cory Wall, their suspended student pastor, has acknowledged he made a “poor decision” and they are treating that decision “very seriously.”
“Our student pastor, Cory Wall, acknowledges that he made a poor decision and a mistake by making a sticker available that was offensive to some,” the statement said.
“Cory has been placed on administrative leave and will not be involved in student leadership responsibilities while this situation is being investigated. There will be a thorough and comprehensive investigation,” the church leaders added. “We take this matter very seriously and want to be proactive as we move forward. Our main goal is to always make our campus a safe place for anyone who attends.”
That's your 'main goal'? I would have thought that introducing children to Jesus would be your main goal. Apparently not!
Emily Petrini, who describes herself as a doubt-filled believer, first made the sticker public in a post on Twitter last Thursday. She said the sticker was sent to her by a friend in South Carolina who got it from a local mom group.
In the post, the mom who shared the sticker said: “The youth pastor gave my younger sister (14 years old) and other students, this sticker during Midweek last night. He is 35 years old... This made her very uncomfortable.”
Church officials did not immediately respond to questions from The Christian Post on Monday about the specific age range of minors who were under Wall’s care, but the sticker itself drew swift condemnation.
Amy Smith, a sexual abuse survivor advocate, called the sticker “disgusting” in a statement on Twitter.
In an email to Lead Pastor Eddie Leopard that Smith posted on Twitter, she further alleged that Wall discussed his porn addiction with the students and called for his immediate dismissal because he is “displaying grooming behaviors.”
“I’m very disturbed about the inappropriate behavior of your youth pastor Cory Wall. Your email to church members excusing his behavior is also very disturbing. His discussion of his porn addiction with kids is very concerning, in addition to his decision to pass out those offensive stickers. He’s displaying grooming behaviors. I think kids very likely are at risk of sexual abuse in your church. Please do the right thing and remove him from his position immediately.”
I totally agree with her.
A Facebook post from the church shows that Wall, who studied psychology at North Greenville University before getting a graduate degree from Southeastern Theological Seminary, started his position at the church in January.
In a copy of an email Wall sent to the woman who raised the alarm about the stickers in the mom group, Wall said he was just poking fun at the “I Love Hot Mom” culture.
“Let me assure you that my intentions were pure, I the last thing I wanted to do was to make you, your sister, or anyone else in attendance feel uncomfortable,” Wall allegedly wrote.
“The sticker was meant to poke fun of the ‘I Love Hot Mom’ culture. In hindsight, the joke was of very poor taste and a mistake on my part. I do apologize for their distribution.”
One might almost believe him were it not for the fact that he discussed his porn addiction with his youth group. If the church doesn't remove him immediately, the parents should remove their children and themselves.
Winnipeg Buddhist monk sentenced to 11 years for sexual abuse of two girls
Caroline Barghout · CBC News ·
Posted: Oct 24, 2022 5:39 PM CT |
Southone Silaphat, 74, was the head monk at the Wat Lao Xayaram temple for 12 years. (Google Maps)
WARNING: This story discusses sexual abuse.
A Buddhist Monk has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing two girls at a Winnipeg temple.
Southone Silaphet, 74, was convicted of two counts of sexual interference in December 2021. He was the head monk of Wat Lao Xayaram Temple on Sinclair Street in Winnipeg's North End for 12 years.
The victims were aged two and six when the abuse began in May 2011, and it carried on for eight years, according to court records.
The crown wanted a 14-year sentence, while the defence said 30 months would be more appropriate because Silaphet will experience "significant hardship" while incarcerated because of his age and the fact he has virtually no English language skills.
Provincial Court Judge Stacy Cawley delivered her decision on Oct.12, and said despite Silaphet having no criminal record, she must impose a sentence on the higher end of the spectrum to "adequately reflect the wrongfulness of his actions."
"The message to Mr. Silaphet and to the public generally must be strong and clear — the sexual abuse of children will result in severe consequences," wrote Cawley in her sentencing decision.
Monk abused his position: Judge
The defence had argued that the monk should get a reduced sentence related to the range of acts included in the sexual abuse, but Cawley disagreed.
She said Silaphet engaged in unwanted touching and other sexual acts.
"This type of sexual contact is violent and extremely intrusive. It violated [the girl], not just physically, but also emotionally and psychologically," wrote Cawley..
She said Silaphet abused his position as head monk when he sexually abused the girls.
"This was not a one-time opportunistic incident," wrote Cawley. "Mr. Silaphet repeatedly made the decision to abuse the victims."
One of the victims said the monk would text her when her saw her at the temple and ask her to come upstairs, where his living quarters were located, but she would ignore his texts. He would then text her mother and ask her to send the girl upstairs to help him with some clerical work.
The girl, who is only known as A.H., said the abuse by Silaphet occurred over and under her clothing.
"A.H. alleges Silaphet would repeatedly say sorry when he was finished touching her. He told her not to tell anyone and that she would get in trouble if she did," Cawley wrote in her December 2021 decision.
The girl also recalled another incident when she was alone with the monk in his room, which had a TV displaying video surveillance. He forced her to hide in the closet when he saw a man coming upstairs, where she stayed until the man left.
She kept quiet about the abuse until 2019 when she told a school guidance counsellor what was happening.
The other victim, referred to as T.H., testified that Silaphet touched her underneath her clothes and that he apologized and gave her money afterwards.
Silaphet denied the allegations, but admitted to giving the girls money on their birthday. Cawley did not find the monk to be a credible witness and rejected his denials.
Cawley agreed with crown attorney Dayna Queau-Guzzi that Silaphet's testimony appeared tailored to minimize the contact he had with the victims.
Silaphet grew up in Laos, then moved to a refugee camp in Thailand to become a monk and help teach children. He came to Winnipeg in 1991 and lived at various temples until his arrest in 2019. He has been a monk for 54 years.
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