What if that victim is already suicidal and does not want anyone to know?
All the more reason for the offender to be reported to the police. Sexual abuse takes place in the dark and quiet, offenders count on victims keeping quiet out of fear or shame.
I'm a survivor and I was suicidal at the time I was dealing with it. I cannot tell you how much it would have helped to have had support from the elders or at least friends in the congregation. Unfortunately I had just the opposite.
would urge them to get professional help for the victim and that professional would quite likely be a mandatory reporter
Isn't this pushing off responsibility just a bit? Didn't Jesus teach that following the letter of the law, especially if others are hurt, is wrong? Doesn't common sense have to come into play? When the disciples gathered grain on the sabbath, which technically broke the law, Jesus had no problem with it. There are times in life when men of good conscience must stand up and be counted.
I'm curious though, would you take this same position if the subject were murder? In other words, if a man were accused of murder, and there was only one witness who was suicidal from fear, would you advocate the elders not report this to the police?
elders are neither qualified nor have the authority to stop the criminal, which often can only be done by putting them behind bars
On this then, we agree. All the more reason there should be urgency in reporting the crime. I know of a case wherein the offender molested multiple children. Only one had the courage to defy the elders and report the crime. The offender was convicted, and sent to prison (although no action was ever taken against him by the elders even after his conviction). If the one brave child and her parents had listened to the elders, and given in to their intimidation and threats, this offender would have continued abusing children.
