Report: The Church of England allowed sex offenders to go into hiding

The Church of England has failed to protect children and adolescents from sexual abuse for decades. He created a culture in which the perpetrators could hide, according to the report published on Tuesday (6 October).

The Independent Inquiry Report on Sexual Violence Against Children (IICSA) cited examples of ordaining clergy despite having committed sexual offenses against children. It also said that from the 1940s to 2018, 390 people who were clergy members or persons of public trust associated with the Church of England were convicted of sexual offenses against children.

The report found that in many cases the Church of England did not take allegations of sexual abuse seriously and that the perpetrators “received more support than the victims”.

“For many decades, the Church of England has failed to protect children and adolescents from sexual abuse, and has instead facilitated the creation of a culture in which perpetrators can hide and where victims face obstacles to disclosing information that many could not overcome,” wrote IICSA leader Alexis Jay .

Specific examples were given, for example, the late Robert Waddington, who, despite serious accusations, could continue to work as dean at Manchester Cathedral, and the Reverend Ian Hughes of Merseyside, who was convicted in 2014 for taking 8,000 indecent pictures of children, and in the investigation another clergyman argued that Hughes had been maneuvered into viewing child pornography.

The Church of England admitted on Tuesday that progress in supporting victims of abuse had been too slow and said it was “fully committed” to improving it.

“The report is shocking reading, and while an apology will never remove the effects of the abuse of victims and survivors, today we want to express our shame at the events that made these apologies necessary,” the statement said. “The whole church must learn from this investigation,” he added.

Last month the Church of England announced the creation of a large compensation fund for victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The report makes several recommendations to prevent this from happening again. It was indicated, inter alia, that the Church of England should improve the way it responds to complaints, e.g. by re-introducing the principle of expelling any member of the clergy found guilty of child sexual abuse, cases of abuse should not be dealt with by diocesan bishops but by special officers appointed through the central hierarchy of the Church, the Church of England and the Church of Wales should share information about clergy moving between the two institutions, both Churches should establish a principle of funding and support for those who have been sexually abused by persons with connection to the Church.

Independent Investigation of Sexual Violence Against Children (IICSA) not only covers abuse in the Church of England, but also sexual offenses that have occurred in schools, orphanages, health facilities, the armed forces, public and private institutions, and by public figures. It is the aftermath of the case of BBC presenter Jimmy Savile. After his death in 2011, hundreds of people came forward to say that they had been sexually abused by him when they were children.

IICSA started operating in 2015 and has already issued several similar reports on other institutions.

From London, Bartłomiej Niedziński

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