Pastor who admits to having AIDS and sleeping with parishioners won't step down

A pastor in Alabama is refusing to step down after confessing to having AIDS, sleeping with church members without telling them about his HIV infection, taking drugs, and misusing funds.
Juan McFarland has been removed from Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama after deacons voted unanimously to oust him
In a sermon in September, he revealed he had contracted HIV in 2003 and was diagnosed with AIDS in 2008 - and the congregation was supportive
But in later sermons he revealed he had taken cocaine, misused church funds and had sex with members of the congregation in the church
He knew he had AIDS at the time but it is not clear if he told all of the women he had the disease; at least one said she is getting checked
Since being ousted, McFarland has changed the locks on the church

Rev. Juan Demetrius McFarland has been at Montgomery's Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church for 21 years. In Sunday sermons starting Sept. 14, McFarland admitted his health status, then his misdeeds, the pastor and members of his flock told WSFA 12 News. The church membership voted 80-1 to remove McFarland on Oct. 5, but he will not leave.

A lawyer representing deacons in the church said McFarland and a supporter would not let them on the premises, telling deacons trying to change the locks they would face "castle law" if they tried to come to services. "They're worried if they show up to church, they could get shot," Kenneth Shinbaum said. "Unless the pastor steps down voluntarily, this may very well end up in court." McFarland may turn up in court for another reason: In Alabama, spreading a sexually transmitted disease is a Class C misdemeanor; since nobody has filed a complaint, McFarland isn't under investigation at the moment.

The announcement stunned parishioners, who at first were worried about McFarland's health, and then were upset by the rest of his revelations. "Who does this to people, and you are the leader?" one congregation member told WSFA 12 News. "Who does this?"

Agreed...it's terrible when men of ANY faith abuse their position...



http://pix11.com/2014/09/24/li-priest-accused-of-molesting-giving-6-year-old-girl-std/



"HAMPTONS BAY, Long Island (PIX11)– A Long Island priest is accused of molesting a 6-year-old girl, resulting in her contracting an STD.

Rev. Augusto Cortez, 50, a Catholic priest of the Vincentian congregation, is wanted by police for sexually assaulting a little girl from Long Island, according to police.

Her family, who will not be named in order to avoid identifying the alleged victim, is deeply distraught, particularly because their child's suspected molester is someone they trusted and turned to for religious guidance.

'It'��s the deepest pain that any mother can ever feel,'�� the victim'��s mother said.

Cortez spent numerous holidays and outings with the family.

The mom says Cortez was an invited guest at a recent house party, but at one point she walked in to find her daughter and him alone. That'��s how she discovered the alleged abuse.

Her daughter is now in therapy to deal with the emotional issue.

While she does feel safe to talk knowing he won'��t be coming back, she says the abuse happened more times than she can count and she was diagnosed with a painful sexually transmitted disease.

South Hampton police questioned Cortez, but he was not arrested.

'I feel like the Church had something to do with him fleeing,'�� the mother said.

It wasn'��t the first time Cortez had been in trouble with the law.

He is currently on probation for molesting a 12-year-old girl in Brooklyn back in 2008, according to court documents. He was working at St. John the Baptist in Bed Stuy. At the time, Vincentians wrote a letter to the court saying they would supervise Cortez while he was on probation and he would be assigned to their headquarters in Philadelphia,�� not churches on Long Island.

The Vincentian order did not return calls for comment.

A few days later after the initial questioning, the priest disappeared and now, prosecutors say there is an active search for the him.

Michael Dowd is the attorney working with family and is trying to get the word out about the priest.

'This is about protecting not even their own child but knowing he told them there other families he was close to in Nassau and Suffolk,'�� Dowd said. '��The hope is that they will hear this broadcast. See his picture and start asking their children what happened when he was around.'

Obviously the silly idea of celibacy is supported while men choose to address their sexual needs regardless of church dogma. Celibacy is not a natural state in life and trying to comply is ludicrous.. same with drugs and people who want to experiment regardless of simplistic ideas such as " just say NO"

What kind of person conceals the fact they have any STD?

The same kind that doesn't practice what he preaches.

I've always wondered about the procedures when a church removes it's pastor. It seems like the residence would fall under the Castle law but the congregation areas would not. I would think that a state non-profit ownership would be involved with the deacons acting as board of directors.

I guess we'll see how this plays out. I bet he is offered a wad of cash and leaves.