Megachurch pastor Robert Morris’s board blasts him over alleged sex abuse of girl, 12, after previously claiming he was ‘reformed’

New York Post ^ | June 18, 2024 | Ronny Reyes

[Morgana]

A Texas megachurch pastor is out of a job, and his own board reversed course on defending him after allegations emerged that he sexually abused a preteen girl for years, beginning when she was 12.

Robert Morris, the founder of the Gateway Church in Southlake and a one-time spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump, resigned and was slammed by the church’s Board of Elders on Tuesday — just days after the group vehemently defended him as a reformed man.

The elders claimed the sudden U-turn came after learning the full allegations from accuser Cindy Clemishire.

“Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse,” the Gateway Church board said in a statement.

“The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’ extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with a ‘young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child.

“Even though it occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret we did not have the information that we now have.”

The board members — who oversee one of the biggest megachurches in the US, with 100,000 members — said they were left “heartbroken and appalled” by the allegation, offering an apology and expressing their sympathies to Clemishire and her family.

Clemishire says she was groomed for abused by the pastor beginning at age 12 and lasting until she was 16 in the 1980s.

She also blasted Morris’ dismissive description of what happened when he said he had a brief affair with a “young lady”

“It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” Morris told the Christian Post.

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TOPICS: General Discusssion
KEYWORDS: church; megachurch; pastor; religious; texas

[Morgana]

He called a 12 year old a "young lady". Throw him in prison.

[bigbob]

At least he didn’t sniff her, cut him some slack.

[HollyB]

Can’t stand these pervs. He sexually assaulted her. I wonder if showering with a child is also grounds for firing someone too?

[Morgana]

The “hair sniffer” liked them younger than 12

[Mark17]

I wonder if showering with a child is also grounds for firing someone too?

Not for democrats.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

Good on the board. Good on the grandma.

Mercy requires repentence or justice kicks in. Justice has begun kicking in.

[Jyotishi]

Abuse Tracker

Daily guide to media coverage of clergy abuse worldwide . . . more than 100,000 articles blogged since 2006:

https://www.bishop-accountability.org/

[Fish Speaker]

Interesting how this story was filed under: church, donald trump, sexual abuse, texas, and 6/18/24

What does this story have to do with Donald Trump?

[AndyTheBear]

My tendency to suspect mega church preachers are more about the world and less about God remains intact.