Brian Houston of Australian megachurch Hillsong has announced that he will relinquish the pulpit as he defends himself in court. Australian authorities have accused Houston, 67, of concealing his father’s sexual abuse against a young man that occurred throughout the 1970s. Houston maintains that when he learned about the abuse in 1999, he kept silent at the victim’s request, not to orchestrate an illegal cover-up. Frank Houston, the paternal perpetrator, was allowed to retire from the church quietly and admitted to the crime prior to his death in 2004. As Houston faces trial, he announced Sunday that he will abdicate his ministerial duties at the megachurch, stating, “the Hillsong Global Board feel it is in my and the church’s best interest for this to happen, so I have agreed to step aside from all ministry responsibilities until the end of the year.” As reported by NBC News, Houston maintains that he’s innocent of any malfeasance, adding, “I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.”
