Abuse conviction aftermath: Will La Luz Del Mundo persist with leader behind bars?
ALEJANDRA MOLINA, of Religion News Service, reports on what experts are saying about the future of the La Luz del Mundo church following the jailing of its leader…
Former La Luz del Mundo members say pastor deserves longer sentence
Los Angeles, US RNS Detractors and ex-members of La Luz del Mundo say its leader deserved a more severe punishment than the nearly 17-year sentence he received on Wednesday for sexually abusing young female followers who said he made them his sex slaves. In court, five young women the pastor was charged with sexually abusing […]
Mexican megachurch leader sentenced in US to 16-plus years for child sex abuse
Los Angeles, USReuters The head of a Mexico-based evangelical megachurch that claims about five million followers worldwide was sentenced on Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom to 16 years and eight months in prison for sexually abusing three girls. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader and self-styled apostle of the Guadalajara-based church La Luz del Mundo (Light […]
Mexico alleges Luz del Mundo, four other groups laundered money
Mexico City, MexicoAP Mexican investigators said Tuesday they have filed money-laundering complaints against five religious groups in Mexico, including the Luz del Mundo church whose leader is charged in the United States with child rapes. The announcement from the Financial Intelligence Unit did not identify the groups involved in the complaints. But an official, who […]
Judge throws out extortion charges against megachurch leader
Los Angeles, USAP Citing insufficient evidence, a judge on Wednesday threw out extortion charges against the leader of a Mexican megachurch but left in place accustations of child rape and human trafficking. The California attorney general’s office failed to show that Naasón Joaquín García, the self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo, extorted sex acts […]
Family, Mexican lawmakers call for trafficking probe of megachurch
Thomson Reuters Foundation The Mexican Government came under criticism from opposition lawmakers and a victim’s family on Monday who said officials have not responded to their complaints of human trafficking against the Light of the World megachurch. The leader of the church is being held in US custody on rape, human trafficking and child pornography […]
Child rape charges refiled against Mexican megachurch leader
Los Angeles, USAP California on Wednesday charged the leader of a Mexican megachurch with child rape and human trafficking, months after a court dismissed the previous allegations because of prosecution errors. Naasón Joaquín García, the self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo, was charged with three dozen felony counts. Also charged were Susana Medina Oaxaca […]
In the US, La Luz del Mundo minister says abuse allegations are false
Pomona, CaliforniaRNS A minister for La Luz Del Mundo, a Mexico-based Pentecostal movement that claims five million members, said new allegations of abuse against more than a dozen of its leaders are false and meant to disrespect their sacred celebration last week. “We find these accusations to be absolutely untrue and ridiculous,” said Jack Freeman, […]
In the US, La Luz Del Mundo ex-member sues, alleging decades of trafficking, sexual abuse
Los Angeles, USRNS A former member of La Luz Del Mundo, a Mexico-based Pentecostal movement that claims five million members, is suing the church and more than a dozen of its leaders, alleging decades of abuse at the hands of the group’s leaders. In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in US District Court in California, Sochil […]
Mexican Pentecostal church says leader is innocent, denies sex crimes charges
RNS Mexico’s largest evangelical church, La Luz del Mundo, is defending its leader, despite his arrest on a slew of sex crime charges involving minors. The church has denied all charges against Naasón Joaquín García, known by church members as the “The Apostle”, in a statement. Church leaders say they are confident Garcia’s innocence will […]