Church of England appoints Lord Carlile to review George Bell claim
by Harriet Sherwood, Guardian:
Peer to conduct independent investigation into church’s settlement of sexual abuse claim last year, which led to protests.
The Church of England has appointed Alex Carlile to conduct an independent review of its handling of a sexual abuse claim against George Bell, one of the church’s leading figures of the 20th century.
In September 2015, the church issued a formal apology when settling a civil claim against Bell, the former bishop of Chichester who died in 1958. The alleged abuse took place in the 1940s and 1950s.
The apology and payment of compensation to a woman, known as Carol, sparked protests by Bell’s supporters, who claimed the church had acted without sufficient evidence.
In setting out the review’s terms of reference on Tuesday, the church said it would examine the processes surrounding the allegations which were first brought in 1995 to the diocese of Chichester, and to Lambeth Palace in 2013.
“It will also consider the processes, including the commissioning of independent expert reports and archival and other investigations, which were used to inform the decision to settle the case, in order to learn lessons that can applied to the handling of similar safeguarding cases in future,” said a church statement.
Bell, who was bishop of Chichester for 29 years and sat in the House of Lords, was once tipped as possible archbishop of Canterbury. However, his outspoken opposition to the bombing of German civilians by the RAF during the second world war was thought to have counted against him with the establishment, while winning him the respect and admiration of others.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
