EGN NEWS DESK
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised to abuse survivors who really feel “let down by the Church” after a BBC investigation right into a pay-out to a cathedral canon who was reportedly assessed as a possible danger to kids.
The BBC reviews that Canon Andrew Hindley was the topic of 5 police investigations, together with into allegations of sexual assault, throughout his three a long time with the Diocese of Blackburn from 1991 to 2021.
The BBC alleges that the diocese tried a number of occasions to repay the canon and even had a plan in place, backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to shut Blackburn Cathedral if the priest returned to work after a suspension.
The canon ultimately left in 2022 after reportedly being provided an undisclosed sum, which the Church of England mentioned was to settle authorized motion introduced by the priest over his pressured retirement.
The Archbishops mentioned in a press release that the case confirmed that the Church of England “should be taught from the errors of the previous”.
“We are really sorry when survivors are let down by the Church. We had been each made conscious of this case, together with the regarding background and the challenges brought on by statutory and Church processes ending with no additional motion,” they mentioned.
“We completely imagine that there isn’t a place in ministry for people who find themselves a danger or pose a danger to others and proceed to work to make sure that our programs are made ever stronger and extra strong.
“This case highlights the complexity of our buildings and processes and is only one instance of why we requested Professor Alexis Jay, the previous chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, to supply choices and suggestions for a way additional independence of safeguarding inside the Church of England may be achieved. This work is now being taken ahead.
“As the Bishop of Blackburn informed the BBC, the Church has made enormous strides in safeguarding prior to now 10 years notably in listening to the voices of survivors and victims. However, this case, which fits again a few years, reveals that we’re nonetheless working to get our processes proper and we should be taught from the errors of the previous.”
The Church of England mentioned in a separate assertion that the case was “sophisticated and really troublesome for everybody concerned notably those that got here ahead”.
“A lot of allegations had been made concerning the Canon over quite a lot of years and a danger evaluation was carried out in line with the House of Bishops 2017 safeguarding steering,” it mentioned.
“In the occasion, not one of the allegations resulted both in a conviction within the prison courts, or in a willpower of misconduct within the impartial Church courts via the Clergy Discipline Measure.
“He was faraway from workplace on well being grounds by the previous Bishop of Blackburn, in 2021, below the Church Dignitaries (Retirement) Measure 1949 , however the Canon then introduced a declare within the High Court for judicial evaluation of that call and cost was made in settlement of that declare.
“The Church of England is at present reviewing the disciplinary process for members of clergy (Clergy Discipline Measure), as advisable by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, IICSA and a evaluation of the danger evaluation rules and steering is below approach.”
