UNITED KINGDOM
Wales Online
Jul 24, 2014 10:32 By Chiara Rinaldi
The number of Catholic priests in Wales and England who have been defrocked for sex abuse totals more than 50, a report has revealed.
Fifty-two priests have been defrocked since 2001 when new procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults were put in place by the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
The National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC), who revealed the statistics, said there were 81 child protection allegations made last year – a leap from 59 in 2012.
The number of parishes without a safeguarding representative grew between 2012 and 2013 from 88 to 126, the commission said, possibly due to concern over increased paperwork associated with the role.
There were 384 “covenants of care” in place by the end of 2013 in England and Wales where either a priest or a lay person is placed under restrictions.
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