Mark Rivera, a Former Anglican Lay Pastor, Found Guilty of Felony Child Sexual Assault

mark rivera
Booking photos of Mark Rivera. Photos courtesy of Kane County Sheriff’s Office

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The Anglican Church in North America formed in 2009 after splitting from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada over the two denominations’ acceptance of LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. Leadership in the young denomination’s Upper Midwest Diocese, where the Christ Our Light Anglican church plant was located, has been roiled by accusations of mishandling sexual abuse allegations for over a year. Spokespeople for ACNA and the diocese did not respond to requests for comment.

Katie Robichaud, a former member of Church of the Resurrection — the Upper Midwest Diocese’s headquarters and the onetime church home of Rivera — attended the second day of the trial. She told RNS she’s worried church leaders still may not take the reality of sexual abuse in the church seriously.

“The concern I have is that the province, or the diocese or the local church Rez, will try, consciously or not, to interpret this as an exception and a fluke instead of a giant warning sign that if it’s not taken seriously, immediately, that it’s just a matter of time before we repeat this whole scenario.”

RELATED: Lawsuit accuses ACNA church of negligence that resulted in child sexual abuse

In May, Cherin Marie filed a lawsuit against Christ Our Light Anglican Church, the now defunct church plant where Rivera was lay pastor, arguing that her daughter has experienced mental anguish and emotional and physical pain because of the church’s negligence. The lawsuit requests over $50,000 in damages. Evan Smola, a lawyer who is representing Cherin in the civil case, says the guilty verdict likely will not impact the lawsuit.

“Because the burdens of proof are different criminally than they are civilly, the outcomes of criminal cases are generally not admissible in a civil case,” he told RNS.

Rivera is still awaiting trial in the Kane County circuit court for charges related to rape allegations made against him by his former neighbor, Joanna Rudenborg. She told RNS in an email that Thursday’s guilty verdict demonstrates that “the State, if not the Church, takes the serial sexual assault of a 9-year-old child seriously.”

“Every conviction of a serial abuser brings a sigh of relief and some sense of justice for the survivors watching,” Rudenborg told RNS. “I know there are still a lot of Mark Riveras out there. But my mind would be put greatly at ease to know that the specific one who shattered the lives of so many people I love, that at least he is finally somewhere where he cannot hurt people so easily.”

RELATED: Anglican church informs parishioners of sex offender attendee after three years

This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.

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KathrynPost@churchleaders.com'
Kathryn Post
Kathryn Post is an author at Religion News Service.

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