“Church must learn lessons” says Archbishop of Canterbury
from Anglican News:
Archbishop Justin Welby has said an independent report into sexual misconduct by a disgraced Church of England bishop makes for “harrowing reading.” Archbishop Justin commissioned the report – An Abuse of Faith – after Bishop Peter Ball was convicted in 2015 of misconduct in public office and indecent assaults against teenagers and young men. Peter Ball is a former Bishop of Lewes and of Gloucester.
The report’s author, Dame Moira Gibb, states:
“This report considers the serious sexual wrongdoing of Peter Ball, a bishop of the Church of England who abused many boys and men over a period of twenty years or more. That is shocking in itself, but it is compounded by the failure of the Church to respond appropriately to his misconduct, again over a period of many years. Ball’s priority was to protect and promote himself, and he maligned the abused. The Church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.
We were asked to consider changes necessary to ensure that safeguarding in the Church is of the highest possible standard. The Church has made significant progress in recent years in its understanding of abuse. We have no doubt that the Church has a genuine commitment to meeting its responsibilities towards the victims of abuse. However we can see how difficult it is to make change across the complex structures of the Church. Progress has been slow and continuing, faster improvement is still required. It is the leadership of the Archbishops and Bishops which will determine whether change is effective.”
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
