Church to Vote on Making 'Unreserved Apology' to Sexual Abuse Victims

By Claire Carter
The Telegraph
July 7, 2013

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10164972/Church-to-vote-on-making-unreserved-apology-to-sexual-abuse-victims.html

Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Justin Welby

The Church of England is expected to vote today to make an historic apology to victims of sexual abuse, as the Archbishop of Canterbury considers setting up the church’s first national commission on abuse.

Archbishop Justin Welby and the Archbishop of York John Sentamu have issued a joint statement ahead of today’s debate at the General Synod in which they urge church members to support an ‘unreserved' apology to victims of clerical sexual abuse.

The church is also set to overhaul its procedures in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse.

The vote is due to take place this afternoon. A motion urges the Synod to “endorse the Archbishops' statement expressing on behalf of the Church of England an unreserved apology for the failure of its systems to protect children, young people and adults from physical and sexual abuse inflicted by its clergy and others, and for the failure to listen properly to those so abused.”

The vote follows convictions of clergy who abused scores of victims and the arrest of former Bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball on suspicion of eight sex offences against eight boys and young men.

In May a report ordered by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, following abuse scandals in the Chichester diocese warned the Church of England risked a “ticking time bomb” if it didn’t act to prevent further abuse cases.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is thought to be considering proposals to set up the first national commission on abuse for the church.

It has also been claimed the change in how the church deals with allegations could include allowing clergy members to break the sacrosanct seal of confession so they can report major crimes told about in confessional, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Campaigner and clergy abuse victim Anne Lawrence, is expected to be at the debate when it takes place at the meeting in York. She said: “There have been so many cover-ups, and the Church is not taking the concerns of survivors seriously that there is something fundamentally wrong in the system.

"The Church is a powerful institution with moral authority but it has used that authority to cover-up serious crimes. There are so many unanswered questions.'”