Statement from the Moravian Church:Acting President of the Moravian Church in Jamaica, the Rev. Phyllis Smit- Seymour, has said that the Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands wishes to assure the people of Jamaica of its continued commitment to stand on its mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and to seek the spiritual, educational and social development of all persons, in Christ’s name.

“As has been done since 1754”, said Rev Smit-Seymour, “we will continue to act with sound governance, in a responsible and responsive way. Within this context, the Moravian Church deeply regrets the circumstances that have led to the arrest of a member of its clergy – a matter that is now before the Courts of Jamaica.,

We expect that in this, and any other allegations that may arise, that the law must take its course, and we are committed to respecting and accepting the due process of the law, and the course of justice.

At this time, we of the Moravian Church must assert our ongoing and unequivocal support for the rights of all people, and especially so of our children, to live free of abuse, and the threat thereof.

Undeniably, recent events have left us battered and wounded by the allegations that have been made. We know that we cannot be completely objective about ourselves, and so have sought outside help and counsel, remaining open to criticism and corrections, towards meaningful change.

At the same time, we are re-examining our policies and processes, as we probe and deal with all the allegations made, with the purpose of maintaining the high moral standards that we have always espoused and expected of all servants and workers in our Church.

In this, we prayerfully seek God’s guidance and support.”

Related story:

Moravian Sex Scandal Deepens … Email Trail Reveals Church Knew Of Sex Allegations Against Pastor

By Damion Mitchell, From Jamaica Gleaner

The sex scandal in the Moravian Church is deepening.

A former Moravian Minister has now produced a trail of email contradicting claims by the church leadership that it had no previous knowledge of allegations of misconduct against the 64-year-old pastor now before the court on a sex charge.

The email between Dr Canute Thompson and the president of the Moravian Church in Jamaica Dr Paul Gardner date back to 2014.

They have come days after Gardner rejected assertions that Rupert Clarke, the 64-year-old pastor charged with having sex with a minor was previously reported for sexual misconduct.

On Monday February 3, 2014, Thompson wrote Gardner warning him against acting with “imprecision” on the “Rupert issue”.

Thompson wrote: “Act with imprecision on that and we are in trouble …”

Almost ten hours later, Gardner responded: “I appreciate bringing matter about Rupert to my attention.”

In that 2014 email, the Moravian president said he had heard about a relationship with a female.

He also said he had heard about an incident involving Clarke and his wife but they have both denied it.

“We are doing what we can to ascertain the facts and act accordingly,” Gardner said.

In response Thompson asserted that Gardner’s action was not enough.

He said the matter did not end with Clarke’s denial of wrongdoing and cited the dismissal of a former Bethlehem principal after allegations for which there was no supporting evidence.

Thompson said he was constrained to release the private email with the church president because he was left uncomfortable following Gardner’s denial on Friday that there were no previous adverse reports against Clarke.

In the meantime, ‎the police have revealed that Clarke is now under investigation ‎in relation to sex crimes involving other family members of the 15-year-old girl against whom he is charged with sexually abusing.

On February 15, 2015, Thompson was terminated as a Moravian minister because of what the church president wrote was his “continued disrespect” for the Moravian leadership.

IMAGE: The Nazareth Moravian Church in Manchester to which 64-year-old Rupert Clarke is assigned. Clarke is charged with having sex with a 15-year-old girl – Damion Mitchell photo

For more on this story and audio go to: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170109/moravian-sex-scandal-deepens-email-trail-reveals-church-knew-sex-allegations