Church to Reveal Past Abuse Cases

The Paisley Daily Express
November 24, 2013

http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/renfrewshire-news/scottish-news/2013/11/24/church-to-reveal-past-abuse-cases-87085-34081206/

The Catholic Church in Scotland has said it will publish a review into cases of reported abuse over a period spanning more than five years.

The church will give details of the number of incidents reported between 2006 to 2012, their nature and the results of investigations into them, members have been told.

It is also expected to announce a further audit of all cases of historic abuse allegations between 1947 and 2005 and a full review of its safeguarding procedures.

The three initiatives, it says, are being launched " in a spirit of openness and transparency".

Members of the Catholic community were told about the plans at Mass today. A formal announcement by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland will be made at 11am tomorrow.

Bishops of the eight Scottish dioceses make up the Bishops' Conference, which represents the Catholic Church in Scotland.

A letter read to mass-goers said: "T he Bishops wish to say on behalf of the Catholic Church in Scotland that we recognise the trauma and pain that survivors of abuse have suffered and that we are committed to providing for them both justice and healing.

"We believe that we can only do this when we work alongside those who suffer and when we reach out with complete transparency and truth to anyone affected by abuse within our Catholic community.

"Safeguarding is a priority within the Church, and all who work in the Church must realise this. Those involved in this work have been called to carry out an essential function which is both acutely sensitive and highly important."

It emerged in August that the Bishops' Conference had commissioned an independent examination into historic allegations of abuse back in 2011, but this was halted by the then-president, Cardinal Keith O'Brien.

He withdrew his support for the review a year before resigning over his own inappropriate sexual conduct.

The cardinal stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in February after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.

The church said today it would firstly publish the results of its Diocesan Safeguarding Audits from 2006-2012, giving a breakdown of incidents reported during that time.

The report is expected to detail complaints made about clergy, church workers and volunteers and how these complaints were dealt with.

The second initiative is the announcement of an external review into the "suitability and robustness" of the church's safeguarding procedures and how they have been implemented.

This review will be carried out by the Very Rev Andrew McLellan, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and one-time chief inspector of prisons.

Third is the plan to hold a review of all historical allegations of abuse from 1947 to 2005, with each bishop's office providing information from files which will be subjected to independent analysis.

The letter said: " The Bishops' Conference is confident that these initiatives will show that the Catholic Church in Scotland is unreservedly committed to the ongoing implementation of thorough and effective safeguarding policies, procedures and protocols.

"Moreover, these initiatives will in large part meet the need for accurate information about our present and historic safeguarding situation, appropriate openness and transparency, and a guarantee of independent analysis of our policies and processes."