UNITED KINGDOM
The Argus
Archbishop of Canterbury vows to protect victims of Sussex church abuse after report reveals diocese’s safeguarding fell ‘woefully short’
Anna Roberts
Britain’s top vicar has apologised to victims who suffered abuse at the hands of the Church of England in Sussex. Archbishop of Caterbury Rowan Williamson spoke yesterday after an interim report into an investigation into the operation of child protection policies in the Diocese of Chichester was published.
Archbishop Williams said he will continue supervising protection of children and vulnerable adults in the diocese after investigators concluded that safeguarding had fallen “woefully short” of what should be expected.
Dr Rowan Williams, who set up an inquiry into child protection policies in the diocese, said the interim report “confirms that there have been many and longstanding failures in implementing a robust and credible safeguarding policy in the Diocese of Chichester”.
Dr Williams appointed Bishop John Gladwin and Chancellor Rupert Bursell QC as commissaries to conduct the inquiry in the wake of child abuse scandals – the first such appointments for more than 100 years.
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