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Australian superchurch Hillsong is accused of knowing about the sexual misconduct of disgraced pastor Carl Lentz as early as 2017, Page Six has learned.
An alleged former church member, using the Twitter handle @aurora_divva, tweeted about an alleged Hillsong NY scandal in 2017 where a church member accused Lentz of inappropriate sexual behavior.
She says this was covered by church staff.
She tweeted: “While Carl Lentz made a mistake, I have no problem with him and I pray for him and his family. It is the pastors who handled the whole incident that must be fired for real. Because all this could have stopped or managed at the time.
She added: “What Carl Lentz got fired for has been happening for years.”
According to an insider, in July 2017, a Hillsong member wrote an email to one of the church’s directors with allegations that some Hillsong leaders were sending nude photos to female volunteers, and that Lentz had was accused of making a volunteer “extremely uncomfortable” after he “acted inappropriately”, was “extremely naughty” and “was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with different women”.
As we have reported, Hillsong founder Brian Houston has publicly cited “moral failures” for Lentz’s release. In the newly leaked audio, Houston alleged that Lentz had been unfaithful on several occasions – including with Brooklyn designer Ranin Karim, who he split with in October.
Lentz is now working on his marriage by undergoing “intense therapy” with his wife Laura and spending time with his three children. He is committed to rebuilding trust and mending his marriage, a friend said, adding: “Covid has been a blessing in so many ways. They were able to spend more time together as a family watching movies, game nights, and reading (they have a book club).
“He is not working and plans to move away from the church to work on his marriage. He does not intend to open a church or seek glory at this time. He never planned to leave his marriage or said he would. It is completely incorrect.
“He has conscientiously led the church and its parishioners for over 20 years and takes his duties very seriously and has never shared confidential information about parishioners.
The source added, “He continues to have the utmost respect for Hillsong and everyone who works there. He admits he put them in a bad spot but appreciates all the opportunities Hillsong has given him. He also reaffirms his relationship with God.
In a statement referring to the 2017 allegations, Hillsong told Page Six: “At the time, our team, in cooperation with legal counsel, spent five weeks investigating the allegations and could not find any evidence. corroborating the allegations made. For this reason, it was not passed on to Pastor Brian at that time. However, our independent investigator is re-examining these allegations and awaiting their findings. “
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