Church Denies Abandoning Abuse Victims

By Stephen Naysmith
Herald Scotland
August 22, 2016

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14698209.Church_denies_abandoning_abuse_victims/

Campaigner Dave Sharp seeks an apology over abuse within the Cattholic Church

A man who is demonstrating chained to a cross outside Glasgow's St Andrews Cathedral is receiving regular offers of help from the Archdiocese of Glasgow over his history of childhood abuse, a spokesman for the Catholic Church has claimed.

Dave Sharp began his protest yesterday, saying the church had failed victims of abuse and had not apologised after the recent conviction of two former schoolteachers for abuse carried out at St Ninian's School in Fife, which was run by the Christian Brothers.

He said chaining himself to a wooden cross was a symbol of his inability to escape from his past without acknowledgement from the Church.

However a spokesman for the Archdiocese said Archbishop Philip Tartaglia had issued a full public apology a year ago, when he described child abuse within the Catholic Church as inexcusable and intolerable. Asking for forgiveness, the Archbishop's statement said: "We apologise to those who have found the Church’s response slow, unsympathetic or uncaring and reach out to them."

The spokesman said support had been extended to Mr Sharp in particular, who he said had had a personal two-hour meeting with the Archbishop, at which the apology had been repeated.

"Far from turning its back on him, the church is in almost daily email contact with Mr Sharp, he has been offered advice and support on how best to pursue a claim against the Christian Brothers (he has no claim against the Catholic Church)" he added.

Mr Sharp confirmed the meeting had taken place, and that he had believed Archbishop Tartaglia's apology was sincere. But he said he had since changed his view. "At the meeting I asked the archbishop to help me get my records. Nothing happened," he said.

"I asked him to help me get the Christian Brothers to offer support nothing happened. They talk a good talk but there is no evidence that they are supporting me or anyone else."