UNITED KINGDOM
Church of England
By Martin Bashir and Callum May
BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme
Victims of abuse by clergy have criticised the Church of England’s close relationship with the insurer advising it on compensation claims.
They said the Church had cut contact and emotional support from them on the advice of Ecclesiastical – which has a senior clergy member on its board.
An independent reviewer said in one victim’s case “financial interests were allowed to impact practice”.
The Church said it aimed to separate pastoral care from insurance issues.
‘Moral responsibility’
Gilo – a middle-aged man who lives in the south-west of England – told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme he had been raped in the early 1970s by a City of London clergyman, the Reverend Garth Moore.
Gilo – whose surname he has asked us not to use – said he had made more than 20 attempts to contact senior members of the Church after his decision to report the assaults, but often received no reply.
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