Did the Church of England’s divisions over homosexuality contribute to child sex abuse cover-up?

Mar 6, 2018 by Jill

by Harry Farley, Christian Today:

The Church of England’s historic opposition to homosexuality and women bishops may have fuelled sex abuse, an inquiry heard.

Factionalism between competing groups within the Church also may have allowed abuse to go unreported and ignored.

The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse is examining the diocese of Chichester as a case study for how the broader Church of England responds to abuse.

Professor Alexis Jay, who chairs the inquiry, heard that the diocese of Chichester was seen as both Anglo-Catholic and conservative. Both groups strongly oppose the ordination of women bishops who, the inquiry was told, had brought improvements in the Church’s attitude to safeguarding.

Fiona Scolding QC, lead counsel to the inquiry, said in her opening statement on Monday: ‘Both Anglo Catholicism and evangelicals may have considered themselves to have been under threat in the church at the time in question. In those circumstances, some witnesses tell us that feelings of defensiveness may have come to the fore.’

She added: ‘Some people who have given evidence to this inquiry indicate that, in those circumstances, people may have put loyalty to their faction above dealing with safeguarding and that in some cases ignorance or naivety about homosexual practices may have wrongly equated homosexuality with child abuse and so nothing happened.’

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