Anglican Leader Pledges to Deal with Abuse Cases in Churches

By Sibongile Mashaba
The Mercury
April 4, 2018

https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/anglican-leader-pledges-to-deal-with-abuse-cases-in-churches-14233449

Durban - The Anglican Church of Southern Africa will formulate a “clearer” policy as a major step towards dealing with cases of abuse.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba told the congregation in his Easter message in Cape Town at the weekend that he could not judge the government and fail to look into allegations of sexual misconduct in the church.

He said he was consulting widely.

“This week I had a very productive meeting with the church’s legal advisers. Arising from that, our Canon Law Council will meet representatives of the safe church network this month to formulate clearer policy, so that we have in place a system that is both effective and is seen to be effective for both survivors and alleged perpetrators,” Makgoba said.

“One matter I raised was to offer formal church support for efforts to change the law to ensure old cases can be dealt with in secular courts.”

In January, two women staged a protest at the Pretoria City Mission Methodist Church over sexual abuse claims, disrupting a church service.

Over the past few weeks, several people have spoken out, alleging that they had been abused.

“In the past few weeks, a number of individuals have spoken out, either publicly or privately, to give accounts of being abused in Anglican parishes when they were young boys in the 1970s and 1980s,” Makgoba said.

“I cannot pass judgement on these accounts - that can be done only in the proper tribunals, where those accused have the right to defend themselves. And if charges are brought and upheld under church law, I would have to handle any appeals, so I must not pre-judge matters.”

He said he could not say how widespread abuse may have been in the church. “But no matter how many cases, we should embrace the new-found willingness by some to speak out, and we must use it as an opportunity to address the issue.”

Makgoba said it was “important to address the needs of those who have been abused, to restore their dignity and to bring about holistic and sustainable healing”.