from the article: “We are deeply saddened by these horrible events,” the religious organization said in a statement in response to questions about the case from The Republican and MassLive. “It should be noted that the allegations had nothing to do with any congregation activity.”
Yeah, they're sorry it's in the news. They're sorry they got exposed again. If they were really sorry about what happened to the victim then they would say they are sorry and make changes, but they're not sorry and they refuse to change. They'll get shut down soon.
from the article: "When the congregation found out about the abuse allegation against Smith, “it promptly reported the matter to the authorities,” a Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson said.
However, the Springfield Police Department did not get a report from the church, according to spokesperson Ryan Walsh.
The victim and a parent reported the abuse to Springfield police in February 2021, according to a report filed in court.
When authorities investigated, the church had not filed a 51A report, a report of alleged child abuse or neglect, according to the DA’s office. Clergy members are mandated reporters in Massachusetts.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson said its policy in responding to abuse allegations is to first comply with reporting laws..."
Yeah, that "Jehovah's Witnesses spokesperson" is a liar. The "first" thing Jehovah's Witnesses policy says elders are expected to do is to call Bethel.
2012 Letter to elders telling them not to cooperate with police or secular investigators unless instructed to by the branch after calling the Bethel Legal Department...
https://files.accessjw.org/s/X2mJqM6M2ySTsxF
2012 Letter to elders telling them to call the Bethel Legal Department before calling the secular authorities, and also that the Branch is the one who decides whether or not the person is a molester...
(Also, the policy says "inform the congregation" but it means only inform specific elders on the body of elders. The rank-and-file in the congregation are not informed because it is considered confidential information to protect the abuser.)