UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

By Hazel Southam and John Bingham 13 Apr 2015

Churches are still viewed as a “soft touch” by paedophiles hunting for new victims despite tightening up child protection measures after a flood of abuse scandals, one of Britain’s leading experts on the issue has warned.

Justin Humphreys, Head of Safeguarding at the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS), an independent body set up to combat clerical abuse, said convicted paedophiles often seek out places of worship on their release because of members’ belief in forgiveness.

Although churches now routinely carry out criminal records checks for volunteer positions such as Sunday School teachers, he said they are “undoubtedly” still missing out on large numbers of people who pose a threat to children but have never previously been caught.

Churches of all denominations are still guilty of “naivety” on the issue of sexual abuse despite the revelations, he…