Under the structure of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, all baptized members are considered “ordained ministers.” Groups of a half-dozen or more elders make many decisions, and elders field confessions of sin at the local congregation level. Defining when such exceptions apply has been a matter of dispute, particularly when more than one spiritual leader is involved. But the law also provides for exceptions when spiritual leaders learn about abuse through confidential communications, such as confession to a Catholic priest.
In response, Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office, said the charging documents “articulate incidents where defendants used their positions of authority within Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations to build trust with children who they later abused.”Ĭurrent Pennsylvania law mandates that clergy and other spiritual leaders report suspicions of child abuse that arise in the course of their work. I’m hoping that this is not the attorney general’s office piling on due to their religious beliefs.” “You have all these Jehovah’s Witnesses getting charged with some sort of inappropriate behavior. “Honestly, this appears to be some sort of attack on their religion,” Kiss said.
Kiss said Ostrander denies all the allegations. He spent more than a month in jail before making bail. The grand jury presentment accused him of abusing two girls in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, area, by groping them, sometimes in the guise of wrestling. In the Pennsylvania cases, court records state all nine defendants have ties to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, although in some cases it’s unclear how that might relate to the criminal allegations.ĭefense lawyer Dan Kiss of Altoona, Pennsylvania, said his client, Robert Ostrander, 57, of Windsor, New York, knew nothing about the investigation before he was charged in October with indecent assault, corruption of minors and other offenses. Believers are known for their evangelistic efforts, including knocking on doors and distributing literature in public spaces. Members will not bear arms, salute a national flag or participate in secular politics. The international Christian denomination, founded in the Pittsburgh area more than a century ago and headquartered in New York state, claims 8.7 million members worldwide, including 1.2 million in the United States. “There’s nothing unique or particular about this faith that makes it prone to any kind of misconduct,” he said.
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