Sydney, Australia CNN —A Sydney court on Thursday acquitted the founder of global megachurch Hillsong of covering up child sexual abuse committed by his father in the 1970s.
Brian Houston learned of the abuse decades later and informed Church leaders but did not tell police.
His father admitted the abuse and was defrocked, but was never charged and died in 2004.
He founded the Hills Christian Life Centre with his wife Bobbie in Sydney in 1983, which grew into the Hillsong megachurch.
Houston stepped down as Hillsong’s global senior pastor in January last year after police charged him with concealing his father’s crimes.
Persons:
Australia CNN —, Brian Houston, Brett Sengstock, I’ll, ” Houston, Gareth Christofi, Sengstock, ” Sengstock, Houston’s, Frank Houston, “ Frank Houston, Houston, Bobbie, “, ”
Organizations:
Australia CNN, Sydney, Hillsong, The Downing Centre Local, Christianity, Christian Life Centre, Hillsong megachurch, CNN
Locations:
Sydney, Australia, Auckland , New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Indonesia, Japan