Today, the National Evangelical Association of Belize issued a statement regarding the charges against Pastor Kevin Tzib stating, quote: "Abuse situations like this are alarming and shameful to the church as a whole... The alleged offense is unacceptable and criminal. The Court and the Law will process this legally, determining guilt and consequences. We pray for justice for the victims in this situation, as well as healing."
But with the series of sexual assault cases, especially those who are considered "holy men," the churches are rather quiet.
For instance, in Tzib's case, there are suggestions that it was being kept quiet for some time.
Well, the ever-loud church senator Luis Wade says that he speaks and comments when he has facts, and he will not just comment, even on social media, on rumors:
Louis Wade, Church Senator
"It is good and bad. It is bad in that it's almost like vultures that are waiting for a corpse to show up for them to pounce on the meat. That is so bad. I have no problem commenting, but we have to wait on the police. In this particular matter, Dunamis made a press release, and so I was able to comment after that. So we are not going to just make a statement just for pandering ears. We want to make a statement that is founded on law and on principle, and that does not violate the rights either of the perpetrator or of the victims.Everyone has rights, and so we have to speak the truth of the Word of God. So yes, I get some lash back,because people want me to speak immediately, even when it is a rumor. I'm not going to do that. But at the right time, as we hear the official information, or if a victim reaches out to us, then we can act appropriately.And so I think that we still live in a country where people expect better from the church, and I think that that is a good thing. If people are criticizing the church at this time, it is still because they expect better. And so we need to do better in the areas that we can."
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