LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Telegraph
July 11, 2019
By Gabriella Swerling
The Archbishop of York has blamed parishes for enabling child sexual abuse as they refuse to punish paedophiles whom they deem to be “lovely people” and “fantastic priests”.
Dr John Sentamu told a government inquiry yesterday that among some dioceses there was the misconception that safeguarding was merely an “optional extra”.
The Archbishop, who is due to retire next year, was responding to allegations that there were attitudes still prevalent within the Church of England that there could be no sex offending without corroborative evidence. He was also questioned about allegations from a surviving victim, the Rev Matthew Ineson.
Giving evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) for the first time, Dr Sentamu said: “I have come across [examples] in my diocese where three clergy persons were convicted and the parishes where they had served, they all tell you it couldn’t be true, in spite of the fact that people have been convicted.”
Dr Sentamu, 70, denied that such attitudes regarding reporting abuse were inextricably linked to the Church.
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