(HorizonPost.com) – According to the UK Guardian, sources claim that the FBI interviewed several people who allege that they were abused by members of the People of Praise, the Catholic sect that made headlines in 2020 after lifelong member Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court.
Sources told the Guardian that the FBI contacted these individuals after a yearslong effort by the group PoP Survivors, which called for an investigation into the Indiana-based religious sect over its leaders’ handling of allegations of child sexual abuse.
PoP Survivors allege that for decades, claims of abuse within People of Praise were either mishandled or covered up to protect the closely-knit religious sect.
The Guardian conceded that there is no evidence that the FBI has opened a formal investigation into People of Praise. However, it was able to confirm that agents from the FBI contacted at least five people, four of whom provided detailed accounts of the alleged abusive behavior they either witnessed or experienced.
The individuals who were interviewed by the FBI, who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, suggested that the interviews could be part of an initial inquiry into People of Praise.
One unnamed woman told the Guardian that she received an update from the FBI last week and was told that the bureau’s investigation into her allegations of sexual abuse by a teacher at People of Praise had been closed. She told the Guardian that she was disappointed since the agents who interviewed her appeared to be interested in pursuing her allegations.
In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for PoP Survivors called on the FBI to investigate People of Praise, arguing that the “perpetrators” and “enablers” of sexual abuse in the sect must be held accountable.
The FBI did not comment on the Guardian’s report.
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