UNITED KINGDOM
Slater and Gordon
By
Jack Bowman
Media Executive
The Church of England “colluded” with a bishop to hide sex abuse of young men, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.
The state church “concealed” evidence of child abuse by a former bishop stretching over two decades, according to a new major independent review.
The Church’s report, Abuse of Faith, shed light on how it handled the case of Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes who was jailed for 32 months in 2015, having pleaded guilty to offences, including two counts of indecent assault.
The court was told Ball hand-picked 18 vulnerable victims to commit acts of “debasement” in the name of religion, including praying naked at the altar and encouraging them to submit to beatings.
The review stated: “The Church at its most senior levels and over many years supported [Ball] unwisely and displayed little care for his victims.
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