Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York and acting head of the Church of England, has issued an apology to victims in historic church abuse cases, saying that they have been let down by the Church.
Writing the foreword to the annual report of the Church Commissioners, Cottrell said, “The Church Commissioners is truly sorry for the prolific and abhorrent abuse highlighted in the report and its lifelong effects on his victims.
“We recognise that victims were badly let down by many in different parts of the Church of England and are profoundly grateful for their courage to come forward and share their experiences, knowing how costly this would be.”
The Church Commissioners are responsible for managing the Church of England’s investment fund. This week the group announced its funding proposals for the next three years. Among the plans was the allocation of £30 million towards safeguarding. The Church has already earmarked £150 million for a national redress scheme for those who suffered abuse in church settings.
The past year or so has been quite a rocky one for the Church of England. Justin Welby was compelled to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury last November after an independent report into historic sexual abuse cases found that he had failed to do enough about allegations against the late John Smyth.
Smyth was involved in the physical and sexual abuse of boys at the Iwerne Christian camps in the 80s and 90s. He died in 2018 without being brought to justice.
The Church Commissioners also noted that the Church’s failure to properly identify and punish cases of abuse represented a severe threat to its reputation.
“This case and other safeguarding failures undermine public confidence in the assertions made by the Church, including the Church Commissioners, about the importance of, and priority given to, safeguarding," they said.
“The potential reputational impacts could be far-reaching; for example, they may in turn make it more difficult for us to attract and retain staff.”
Such concerns about reputation are shown to be more than valid. In Ireland a recent opinion poll revealed that while people generally have a favourable view of Catholic teaching, they have a low opinion of the Catholic Church. By far the main reason given for this distrust was historic sexual abuse cases.
