La Tour de Garde du 1er janvier 1997 déclarait ceci : 'a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation' ; elle précisait qu'un tel homme ne peut pas être pionnier, tout en indiquant qu'un auteur d'abus repentant peut 'share in the field service' et que la congrégation 'will not protect him' des sanctions de l'État.

The Watchtower, “Let Us Abhor What Is Wicked”

1 janvier 1997 · pp.26-29 · pars. on p. 29 (child molesters) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“For the protection of our children, a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation. Moreover, he cannot be a pioneer or serve in any other special, full-time service.”

The same article says: 'Depending on the law of the land where he lives, the molester may well have to serve a prison term or face other sanctions from the State. The congregation will not protect him from this.' It does not instruct elders to report; it also says a repentant abuser may 'share in the field service'. Courts later examined a 14 March 1997 letter to elders issued alongside this article (see Lopez and Padron).

Source officielle ↗ (s’ouvre dans un nouvel onglet)