Ohio church blames and shames teen rape victim.

After a youth pastor in Ohio raped a teen girl, church officials asked the young victim to apologize to her rapist’s wife.

Brian Mitchell, a North Olmsted youth pastor, will spend a decade in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl who was also a member of his church.

Mitchell, 31, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual battery. According to reports, Mitchell sexually abused the teen on at least two separate occasions.

In a letter to the court recounting her horrific experience at the hands of the demented youth pastor, the unnamed teen girl wrote:

I did not give him permission. I clearly said ‘no, didn’t want to.’

And while the story of a youth pastor raping a minor is nothing new, the details of this particular story of a youth pastor raping a teen is more heinous than most.

After the youth pastor was arrested for repeatedly raping the unnamed teen girl, officials at the Columbia Road Baptist Church blamed and shamed the young victim, and forbid the family of the unnamed teenager from attending services until she apologize to the wife of youth pastor Brian Mitchell.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

The girl’s mother said in court that church officials told her their family couldn’t return to the church until she apologized to Mitchell’s wife.

That’s right, church officials demanded that the young victim apologize to the youth pastor’s wife for being raped by her husband.

In a word, it is despicable.

As one might imagine, the family has since left the church.

And while church members blamed and shamed the teen for being raped, they showed sympathy for the rapist. The former youth pastor received around three dozen letters of support from church members.

After the news broke of the despicable behavior of church officials, in an attempt at damage control, officials at the Columbia Road Baptist Church made a post to their Facebook page reading in part:

… the accusation that an apology was required from the victim or her family to return was a result of a serious misunderstanding and does not reflect what actually transpired.

However, the church’s Facebook page has since been deleted. On the church website the following cryptic message can be found:

In regard to recent news stories featuring our church, Columbia Road Baptist Church has fully cooperated with the authorities and have nothing to add.

Bottom line: The church is obviously a dangerous place for women and children. Any organization that would blame and shame a rape victim is morally bankrupt, deserving only scorn and contempt.