Throughout my adult life, there have been two thoughts that have plagued my brain when it comes to organized religion:

Why do they always get a pass when it comes to harboring the worst human beings on the planet (pedophiles)? And why are the laws written in such a way that enables these tragedies to continue?

Unfortunately for us in the Centennial State, the 2020s have been filled with examples of these very failures.

From the beginning of the decade to as recently as last month, the Catholics and Mormons have done everything they can to “protect their own.”

In April this year, former Colorado Springs Deputy District Attorney—and president of the Colorado Springs East Stake within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS)—David McConkie took a plea deal centered around sexual misconduct with a child.

In it, he pleaded guilty to a count of criminal attempt to commit sexual assault on a child, a class five felony, in exchange for the remaining charges being dismissed. Also, McConkie could serve five years of sex offender intensive supervised probation and would be required to register as a sex offender … with no jail time.

When you look at the entire history of McConkie, you quickly understand why I emphasize the part about no jail time being given.

In a 2023 affidavit, McConkie admitted to assaulting three children for over a decade, with one of the victims being only six months of age. So yes, with him openly admitting to performing these ghoulish acts, I am kind of stunned that unless the judge rejects the plea deal at his July 1st sentencing, McConkie won’t see the inside of a jail cell.

What doesn’t stun me is how the LDS Church is ignoring it.

While doing research for this article, I learned a lot about McConkie and his history with the megachurch that Joseph Smith built. One of the most shocking revelations (no pun intended) came about from the fact that in 2008, McConkie admitted to telling a fellow church leader about him assaulting children as early as 2004. Not only was this information buried, but McConkie was given a presidency position over multiple congregations a couple of years later.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to find anything about McConkie being punished/excommunicated for his deeds, now that they had become public. When I found that he’d posted bail and went back to Utah—presumably to be hidden under the church’s wing—I reached out to Mormon leadership and asked a few questions.

I wanted to know if he had been excommunicated, and if not, why? And I also wanted to know about any internal investigations that have been started since McConkie’s plea deal hit the news.

As of the publication date, they have not responded.

Unfortunately, given the level of enabling the Colorado government has offered to churches when it comes to allowing their sins to be so easily obfuscated, this lack of response isn’t surprising.

In 2019, the Colorado Attorney General began an investigation into claims of sexual abuse against Catholic priests. While reading the results of that report, along with a supplemental report or two, I came across something I found a bit alarming.

Under an agreement between the Colorado Diocese and the Attorney General’s Office, the investigation ONLY focused on victims who reported claims to the Attorney General’s Office or to the Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program (IRRP).

This means it did NOT include victims who reported directly to a priest or other church leader but never filed an official report with the IRRP or the Attorney General’s Office. Nor does it include allegations of abuse by religious-order priests, church volunteers, or employees other than ordained priests.

Also, when looking at Colorado statute § 19-3-304, “Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect,” there’s a massive loophole to be found.

“A clergy member, minister, priest, or rabbi shall not be examined without both their consent and also the consent of the person making the confidential communication.” So, if the Vatican tells a priest to say nothing, then that right will be invoked.

Supporters of the clergy being allowed to keep their mouths shut have always framed their argument that it’s a separation of church and state issue.

First off, any regular Rooster Magazine reader knows the separation of church and state died a while ago.

But for the sake of this argument, I’ll play along …

For almost 250 years, we have done it that way (separation), and this has only led to thousands of lives being shattered through various systemic coverups; your way has failed.

I think it’s time we take the opposite approach.