from Safeguarding the Flock
Last week, General Synod debated the future of the seal of the confessional. It was an important discussion, raising difficult questions about theology, safeguarding and the responsibilities of clergy when faced with disclosures of abuse. Faithful Christians hold different views on whether the seal should remain unchanged, be qualified or removed altogether.
These are legitimate questions, and they deserve thoughtful theological reflection.
However, there is a danger that this debate distracts from the Church’s far greater safeguarding challenge.
If Synod leaves believing that the seal of the confessional is the Church’s biggest safeguarding problem, it will have missed the central lesson of the last thirty years.
When the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) examined the Church of England, it considered the seal of the confessional. Yet its most significant findings were not about confession. They were about failures of leadership, governance, accountability and organisational culture. Time and again, the Inquiry found institutions more concerned with managing reputational risk than safeguarding risk.
That should concern every church leader.
Read here (Hat tip: Peter Ould)