Catholics 'Must Do More to Stop Sex Abuse', by Fiona Hamilton, The Times,

Catholics 'Must Do More to Stop Sex Abuse'

By Fiona Hamilton
The Times
July 16, 2007

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2080318.ece

Five years after the introduction of sweeping reforms to try to stop sexual abuse, the Roman Catholic Church has been told that it needs to do more.

Bishops and congregational leaders have displayed a "patchy will" to drive through reform and there is a view held by some within the Church that the implementation of protection policies had been "tolerated rather than embraced", an independent report said.

The Cumberlege Commission said that if existing tensions within the Church in Britain over how to tackle the issue of abuse were not confronted, they would result in a step backwards. It expressed concern that leaders could be "minimising" the anguish that followed child abuse and that "complacency" surrounds the issue.

The commission assessed the progress of the Church in the five years since the Nolan report, which recommended an overhaul of procedures following a series of sex abuse scandals involving Catholic priests.

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While the commission, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege, praised the Church for taking many steps to improve child protection, it said that it risked a "serious reversal" of some of its gains. "Five years on and the Church can quite rightly take pride in the progress it has made," the report said. "But the task is far from done and if the tensions that have come to the fore in this review are left unaddressed by those in the Church with the authority to deliver, we believe they risk a serious reversal."

It added that the Church had addressed either completely or partially 79 of Nolan's 83 recommendations.

However Margaret Kennedy, of Ministers and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, said that the Church had a long way to go and that abuse victims were being "sidelined".

* HAVE YOUR SAY

Having read the Cumberlege report, I remain bemused by its reluctance to insist that bishops, like the rest of the population, should be compelled by law to report all cases of alleged abuse to the civil authorities, leaving due process to follow.

No further interference in the process by the episcopy should be tolerated especially the use of "administrative leave" without formal charges being brought.

Parliament should be asked in all cases of alleged abuse to provide the safeguard of anonymity for all parties concerned until formal charges are brought, justice demands nothing less.

Criminal law takes precedent over Canon Law in these cases, a fact that appears to escape the bishops, despite most of them being qualified Canon lawyers!

Clergy should have a legal defence organisation provided for them just like all others in the caring professions, this may prove difficult whilst the bishops continue to pretend that the clergy are not employees of the Catholic Church.

Dr. Michael Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.

Surprising that a "proper church " would need to be told this at all ! Am wondering why this isn't such a problem in "improper" churches . Wondering exactly what is proper about the Catholic church at all ?

Seems to me that a church that allows this sort of abuse to continue is so far short of being proper that I can scarcely believe they have the cheek to preach to anybody . Still , its easier to knock others than deal with your own perverts , especially when you have so many !

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,