Robert Morris has finally been brought to justice. The Church must stop protecting predators

In 1986, when I was 11 years old, I was baptised. I remember the light shimmering through the stained-glass window, dancing on the baptistry walls. I remember the kind face of my small-town Texas church pastor, his robes billowing around him, as he helped me into the water.

In 1986, another little girl, just a few years older than me and living just a few hours away, was having a different experience with a Texas pastor. Instead of baptising her, this pastor - who just pled guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts - was sexually abusing her.

Robert Preston Morris, then a 21-year-old traveling evangelist, sexually abused Cindy Clemishire for more than four years during the 1980s – beginning when she was twelve.

Morris, a married father, stayed with her family when he preached at their small-town evangelical church in Oklahoma.

What happened

According to Clemishire’s testimony, she was wearing pink pajamas with a snap-up robe the first time Morris asked her to come into his bedroom. Over the next few years, as he continued preaching - and even accepted a pastoral position at a church in Texas - his abuse progressed from touching Clemishire’s preteen body to “heavy petting”, and even one alleged account of attempted rape.

The assaults took place both in Oklahoma, where Clemishire lived, and in Texas, where Clemishire’s family visited Morris. Morris covered his tracks by telling his wife he was “counseling” Clemishire.

It has been more than 42 years since Robert Morris, a proclaimed man of God, began sexually preying on a little girl

My twelve-year-old self remembers a baptism. Clemishire remembers a confused little girl silenced with the words: “never tell anyone because it will ruin everything.”

It wasn’t until 1987, when Clemishire was 17, that she was able to finally speak about what had happened to her. At first, it did seem to “ruin everything” for Morris. He was forced to resign from his church, step away from ministry, and seek help.

But that was it.

No one told the police in 1987. Morris’ grooming and sexual assault of a child was not reported as a crime. Clemishire found herself blamed, and Morris’ wife called Clemishire to “forgive” her. To forgive a 16-year-old girl for the actions of a 26-year-old man. Morris later recounted the episode, making it sound consensual and describing it as an “extramarital relationship” with a “young lady”.

A young lady who would spend decades in counselling, coming to grips with the fact that a trusted family friend and pastor had not only groomed and sexually abused her as a child but was getting away with it. Just two years later, in 1989, Morris returned to ministry. Over the next four decades, he built a multi-million-dollar, multi-site church that would draw tens of thousands of congregants.

Seeking justice

In 2007, after Clemishire tried to hold Morris accountable for the abuse by filing a civil lawsuit, she was shamed into silence again. The negotiations failed after she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Finally, in 2024, Clemishire went public with her allegations. This time, the attorney general of Oklahoma took action, using an old legal loophole to bypass the statute of limitations and prosecute Morris.

On the one hand, I am sickened that it took 42 years for Cindy Clemishire to be vindicated. Morris should have been prosecuted in the 1980s when Clemishire first disclosed what he had done. Someone should have reported his crime. Those who knew should not have remained silent when Morris began his ministry again. The leaders of Gateway Church should have asked more questions about Morris’s “moral failure” before being blindsided by his charismatic preaching.

 In 1987, Morris’ grooming and sexual assault of a child was not reported as a crime

And even now, Morris should have received a far heftier sentence. Because he struck a plea deal before trial, he will not face a jury. He is now a convicted criminal, but his sentence is light: just six months in jail, a ten-year suspended sentence and a fine of $250,000. Since he has owned several multi-million-dollar homes in Texas during the past few years, a mere quarter of a million dollars seems laughable.

On the other hand, the fact that the little girl in pink pajamas was finally vindicated gives me hope. The man who harmed her, shamed her and stole so much of her life is now a convicted sex offender. Her grit has set a precedent for how pastoral predators - even the most famous and most powerful - can be brought to justice.

It also paved the way for new laws, designed to “strip protections from child abusers” and keep men like Morris from hiding their crimes behind non-disclosure agreements. Cindy Clemishire believes that Morris’ conviction is a victory. “I leave this courtroom today, not as a victim, but a survivor,” she said.

He may deserve more punishment than he got, but because that little girl in pink pajamas refused to remain a victim, future predators will not be as fortunate.