Report Says Church ‘Failed To Protect Children And Forgave Pedophiles, Allowing Them To Keep Working With Children.’

By Sumaiya Ghani in News On 8th October 2020
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A report by 'The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA)' says that the church failed to protect children against pedophiles

'The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA)' report says that the Church of England failed to protect minors who became victims of the pedophiles and were abused by clergy members.


The report says that the church neither protected the children nor it punished the perpetrators. The church didn't hold the abusers accountable for their twisted behavior, instead, it allowed them to continue in their positions which increased the victims’ trauma.

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The report found that the abusers were often given more support than their victims

The report revealed that instead of holding the abusers accountable, it defended them. It mentioned the late Robert Waddington, who had serious abuse allegations but still continued as dean of Manchester Cathedral.


The report also recalled Reverand Ian Hughes whose crimes were severely downplayed by a senior colleague.

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The shocking report revealed that between the years 1940S to 2018, around 390 clergy members had been accused of sexually abusing minors

Every time, such horrible abuse was reported, the Church of England failed to take serious actions of punishing the pedophiles. 


The church has admitted they were too slow when it came to protecting children and vulnerable adults from such monsters, the report says.


In only 2018, there were 2,504 reported safeguarding concerns and as well as 449 allegations of new or recent child sexual abuse. But even after such a large amount of cases being reported, no abuser was given a serious punishment sadly.

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The report says the church never took the allegations seriously

 The report says the church was “in direct conflict with its own underlying moral purpose to provide care and love for the innocent and the vulnerable” to do so. 


IICSA chair Prof Alexis Jay said;


“Over many decades, the Church of England failed to protect children and young people from sexual abusers, instead of facilitating a culture where perpetrators could hide and victims faced barriers to disclosure that many could not overcome."

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The church called the report a 'shocking reading' and apologized

A joint statement, after the report’s publication, was released by Jonathan Gibbs, the Church’s lead safeguarding bishop, and Melissa Caslake, the Church’s national director of safeguarding. 


The statement said;


“While apologies will never take away the effects of abuse on victims and survivors, we today want to express our shame about the events that have made those apologies necessary,” they said. They also stressed that the Church is “completely committed” to make improvements.