USA: Outrage after picture of Chicago bishop sharing bathtub with granddaughter, 4

Bishop Larry Trotter of Chicago claims the picture was innocent and both he and and his grandaughter were wearing trunks

 

Bishop Larry Trotter posted a picture of himself in the bath with his granddaughter earlier in the week and ignited an internet storm.

The high-profile senior pastor of the huge, 8,000-member Sweet Holy Spirit Church in Chicago began to publicly defend himself on Thursday after receiving hundreds of abusive messages on social media.

Trotter says the photograph was completely innocent, but the bishop was described online as a 'child molester' and a 'pedophile.' 'The vulgarities have been terrible,' the pastor said.

The bishop told the radio show hosts that his granddaughter and her parents had been visiting, and he was taking a bubble bath, wearing swimming trunks, when the four-year-old wandered into the bathroom.

When the girl, also wearing trunks, asked if she should get into the bath, her mother placed her in the tub for a few minutes and snapped the family photo.

Facebook and Twitter users went further, describing the photo as 'disgusting', 'sick', and suggesting that child protection authorities should get involved.

Trotter claimed to have 1,200 hate mails on his personal Facebook page.

Bishop Trotter describes his granddaughter as the 'first lady' of his life. The Sweet Holy Spirit Church is a megachurch in the south side of Chicago.

The bishop added: 'I’m not ashamed of what I did. I am ashamed and hurt that it is going out all over the world and people have called me everything from a child molester to a pedophile to a nasty old man and how I should get out of the ministry.'

It is not the first time that Trotter has had controversy involving his granddaughter, who he describes as ‘first lady’ of his life on the official church page.

In September 2012 he staged a mock execution - men just held up the girl in front of a cross - to protest against a Chicago teachers' strike.

'My grandbaby's on this cross to symbolize the 400,000 children who now for the seventh day are being crucified of their education and their safety,' he told ABC.