The biggest impact of this is that it proves a liability link between what elders and Head Office.
What I would expect to see over the next decade would be this:
- More lawyers eager to take on cases of abuse
- More victims empowered to fight back
- A class action suit representing all victims against the Watchtower
The financial impact will be massive. The Watchtower will have to pay for what it has covered up for so long and at long last they will have admit they have a problem and fix it. I would expect them to adjust their procedure and try to paint themselves as the champion of the victim. Turn pedophelia into an "unforgivable sin" that warrants immediate disfellowshipping with no possibility of reinstatement.
To be quite honest, I would support a stance like that, but it wouldn't change the fact that they would only be doing it because they care more about their money, not because they care about children being abused.