Swaggart Under Medical Care, Son Says

Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart is under professional counseling and medical care in the wake of allegations that he picked up a prostitute in Indio, Calif., last weekend, his son announced Tuesday.

Donnie Swaggart told employees at the Swaggart Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, La., that his father had temporarily turned over control of the ministry to him and that Swaggart’s board of directors would be restructured--but that neither Swaggart, 56, nor his wife, Frances, 54, would be members. The son also said Swaggart’s national crusades would be canceled for an indefinite period.

“After a time of healing and counseling with godly men, and in God’s perfect timing, Dad will once again assume the pulpit” at the 7,000-seat assembly center, Donnie Swaggart said in a statement.

The younger Swaggart said the decisions had been made after three days of “seeking God’s help and direction as well as the advice and counsel of some of America’s leading ministers.” He did not mention any by name. He also cautioned Swaggart employees not to release information to the media.

His father, who in 1987 had the largest audience among U.S. televangelists, was forced out of the ministry of the Assemblies of God after being linked to a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988. The latest incident involved Rosemary Garcia, 31, a known prostitute, who was in a car with Swaggart Friday when he was cited for traffic violations in Indio.