Open Letter Pleads for Wilson to Confront Alleged Sexual Predator
13 September 2024|
An open letter was written to General Conference president Pastor Ted Wilson in Spectrum magazine regarding the alleged sexual predator and spiritual abuser Daniel Țecu, a prominent member of the Adventist Church. The author, Mihaela-Alexandra Tudor, a full professor at the Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3, is deputy director of the CORHIS Research Center (UR7400), where she supervises doctoral students and is co-director of the master’s program in Public and Political Communication. Tudor implores Wilson to take action against Țecu, especially in light of his influence and reach across the UK, Spain, Italy, and the US. The largest outcry for justice has resonated from Romania, with women and young girls reporting violations at events organized by Țecu to mainstream media, civil rights leaders, intellectual and public figures, and the community at large. Their efforts are leading to civil court proceedings with the hopes of retribution and raising awareness for the sexual and spiritual abuse that occurs within the Adventist Church, hoping to encourage lasting change.
Tudor states:
“The victims were encouraged by the award-winning Balkan Insight’s recent investigation into sexual harassment at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, a public university in Romania that trains future presidents, high-ranking public officials, and diplomats. They were also motivated by witnesses to these violations such as pastors and laypeople in the Adventist Church who were aware of other members’ sexual harassment behaviors.”
Tudor addresses Elder Wilson, as a leader who has been able to utilize his authority and wisdom, stopping Țecu’s sexual misconduct which is causing irrefutable damage to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, publicly denouncing him, stripping him of his leadership within the church, and providing support to the victims. Tudor also addresses Wilson as a father of three daughters, keeping in mind that many of the young girls and women have endured lasting emotional, spiritual, and physical harm.
The South England Conference in the UK, and the Protestant Federation in France of which the Adventist Church is part, have all taken extensive action to investigate and confront the issue, creating active safeguarding methods, training, and sessions for the victims to care for their wellbeing. The one holdout has been the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania. The president, Aurel Neatu, has done nothing to publicly address the abuses, preferring to privately dismiss the issue as hysteria and blame the girls and women as “loose.” Tudor suggests, “Unfortunately, perhaps due to managerial naivety, weak connection to the Church’s real problems, or a certain Eastern European mindset, he has not taken action thus far.” This refusal to take accountability could also be because he values Țecu’s political ties in Romania more than the spiritual and physical well-being of the female parishioners.
Toward the end of the article, Tudor includes the two inquiries sent to Neatu, imploring him to speak out and not allow Țecu to continue his scourge. These inquiries were included to prove that efforts had been made to connect with the president of the Romanian Division. In one inquiry sent on 23 August 2024,
“Mr. President Aurel Neatu, do not turn the Church into a shelter for aggressors and a prison for victims. The Church is not an object for scams, blackmail, or humiliation. The SDA presidency, temporarily represented by you, Mr. Aurel Neatu, must answer fundamental questions swiftly, as the institutions involved in the SNSPA case did, starting with the university itself, which did not defend sexual predators.
If you do not act and allow the Church to become a haven for sexual criminals, then you do not love it. If you do not love the Church, then you should step aside.”
Tudor’s open letter in Spectrum is a plead for Wilson to take action and protect both the believers within and the principles of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, refusing to allow it to protect sexual predators who hide behind the Adventist logo and message to continue the abuse of minors and women. Tudor implores that to protect such individuals by allowing them the platform to continue their misconduct would be a violation of the God we claim to serve and the church to which she is proud to belong.
