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Welby Says Sorry to Sex Abuse Survivor Whose 16 Letters Were Ignored

By Kaya Burgess
The Times
October 16, 2017

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/welby-says-sorry-to-sex-abuse-survivor-whose-16-letters-were-ignored-97863h70j

Justin Welby wrote to the victim, known as Gilo, to say he was profoundly sorry for the abuse he suffered — and “the way your correspondence was handled”

The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a personal apology to a victim of sexual abuse within the church who sent 16 letters to Lambeth Palace about his ordeal with no response.

Three prominent bishops have also raised concerns in a separate letter to the Church of England’s insurers that the process of “horse-trading” between lawyers over abuse claims has shown “little concern” for the impact on survivors.

This comes just days after one of the bishops, the Bishop of Buckingham, the Right Rev Alan Wilson, told The Times that the church’s stock response to abuse reports was to “hide behind the sofa and call the lawyers”.

One survivor, known as Gilo, who suffered abuse at the hands of a senior church figure as a teenager, sent a total of 17 letters to the archbishop’s office and received only one response from Lambeth Palace, from a correspondent clerk who offered prayers.

 

 

 

 

 




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