Granville Gibson: Church dismissed sex priest abuse as drunkenness – BBC News
‘Church officials dismissed claims a priest was sexually abusing young men as “drunkenness”, a report has found.’
BBC News, 17th December 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: clergy
Church of England may have to pay out millions over child sexual abuse – The Guardian
‘he Church of England could face a multimillion-pound bill after its ruling body voted in favour of compensating survivors of sexual abuse.’
The Guardian, 12th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Former monk who sexually abused boys as young as nine jailed for more than 20 years – The Independent
‘A former monk at a Catholic boarding school who sexually abused boys as young as nine has been jailed for more than 20 years.’
The Independent, 12th February 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Peter Ball – the on-going legacy – Law & Religion UK
‘In 2015, Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, was jailed at the Old Bailey for sexual offences against 18 young men over three decades, the circumstances of which have been the subject of inquiries within the Church of England and externally. BBC2 has scheduled a documentary, Exposed: The Church’s Dark Secret, on the Peter Ball case for 13 and 14 January 2020. This post reviews the legal issues that have arisen in the case of Peter Ball, and comments on related ongoing enquiries and the legal implications for the Church.’
Law & Religion UK, 13th January 2020
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Priests would rather die than break the Seal of Confession, Cardinal Nichols tells child sex abuse inquiry – Daily Telegraph
‘Priests would rather die than break the Seal of Confession, the most senior Catholic in England and Wales has told an inquiry into child sexual abuse. The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, made the comments today while giving evidence at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).’
Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Child sexual abuse inquiry criticises lack of cooperation from Vatican – The Guardian
‘The Vatican’s repeated refusal to cooperate with official investigations into paedophile priests and its delay in stripping convicted offenders of their clerical status has been condemned by the UK’s child sexual abuse inquiry. In a highly critical attack on the papacy’s stonewalling response to decades of complaints, the lead counsel to the inquiry, Brian Altman QC, said it was “very disappointing” that significant evidence and statements had been withheld.’
The Guardian, 28th October 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Inquiry – ‘Positions of Trust’ within faith settings – Law & Religion UK
‘On 15 August, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Safeguarding in Faith Settings issued a call for evidence for its second Inquiry on whether there should be a change in legislation relating to “Positions of Trust” within faith settings.’
Law & Religion UK, 15th August 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Events in 1995 and 2010 lead to lifetime CDM prohibition – Law & Religion UK
‘On 30 July 2019, the Clergy Discipline Tribunal of the Diocese of Portsmouth (“the Tribunal”) handed down a lifetime prohibition on the exercise of any function of the orders of the Reverend Simon Sayers, Rector of Warblington and Emsworth, Hampshire. The complaint was raised by the Ven Dr Joanne Grenfell on 23 March 2017 in relation to unbecoming or inappropriate conduct to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders within section (8)(1)(d) of the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003.’
Law & Religion UK, 6th August 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Archbishop tried to discredit BBC film on church links to – The Guardian
‘The most senior Catholic leader in England and Wales went to extraordinary lengths to try to discredit a BBC documentary on child sexual abuse and its cover-up by the church, the Guardian can disclose.’
The Guardian, 24th July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Birmingham Archdiocese let children be abused and harboured paedophile priests ‘to protect its own reputation’ – The Independent
‘Birmingham’s Catholic church protected paedophile priests and allowed child sex abuse to continue in order to preserve its own reputation, a damning inquiry has found.’
The Independent, 20th June 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Victims in religious institutions less likely to report sexual abuse, says inquiry – The Independent
‘Children who suffer sexual abuse are significantly less likely to report it if it is being perpetrated in a religious institution, according to a major analysis of survivors’ experiences. A study by the Truth Project, part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), drew upon the experiences of 183 individuals who were abused as children in religious institutions, or by clergy or church staff in other settings.’
The Independent, 30th May 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Church statements on Bishop George Bell – Law & Religion UK
‘Today, 24 January 2019, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the National Safeguarding Team issued statements following a ruling by Timothy Briden, a senior ecclesiastical lawyer, relating to fresh information received about the late Bishop George Bell. The core group took the view that there were no safeguarding issues arising out of the fresh information and Mr Briden concluded that the allegations presented to him were unfounded.’
Law & Religion UK, 24th January 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Bishop George Bell abuse allegations ‘unfounded’ – BBC News
‘Further allegations against the late Bishop of Chichester George Bell are “unfounded”, a Church of England (CofE) appointed lawyer has ruled.’
BBC News, 24th January 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Independent Case Review – Oxford Diocese – Law & Religion UK
‘Today, 12th December, the Diocese of Oxford has issued the following Press Release on the establishment of an Independent Case Review of the diocesan safeguarding response to allegations of spiritual abuse in the case of the Revd Tim Davis.’
Law & Religion UK, 12th December 2018
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Child abuse inquiry: School ‘reputations put before victims’ – BBC News
‘Two leading Roman Catholic schools “prioritised monks and their own reputations over the protection of children”, a report says.’
BBC News, 9th August 2018
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Peter Ball – legislation, then and now (I) – Law & Religion UK
‘The public hearing of the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) into the Peter Ball case study took place 23-27 July 2018; the IICSA investigated inter alia whether there were inappropriate attempts by people of prominence to interfere in the criminal justice process after he was first accused of child sexual offences. The transcripts of the proceedings and other documents are available here.
The hearing of this case study followed the earlier IICSA consideration of the experience of the Diocese of Chichester, 5-23 March 2018, where there had been multiple allegations of sexual abuse, and numerous investigations and reviews. Peter Ball was Bishop of Lewes from 1977 to 1992 and was translated to Gloucester in 1992, but resigned from his position in 1993 after admitting to an act of gross indecency with a 19-year-old man and accepting a formal police caution.’
Law & Religion UK, 8th August 2018
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Is an ordinand in training an employee? Gabe – Law & Religion UK
‘In Ms F Gabe v The United Reformed Church [2017] UKET 2204367/2012, the claimant was accepted to train for the ministry of the URC as a full-time student at Westminster College, Cambridge. She was given a grant and allowances amounting to some £11,000 a year; ultimately, however, she was not ordained. On successfully concluding the course at Westminster, a trainee minister receives a “leaving certificate” from the College which will generally but not inevitably lead to the Church’s Assessment Board, when it reviews matters, determining that the candidate is fit for ordination. The candidate then has up to three years to be accepted for ordination by a Pastorate and, once accepted, he or she will be ordained.’
Law & Religion UK, 18th July 2018
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Church of England ombudsman to oversee sexual abuse cases – The Guardian
‘The Church of England is to establish an independent ombudsman to deal with complaints over its handling of sexual abuse cases, and will seek other ways of strengthening independent scrutiny of its processes.’
The Guardian, 7th July 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Former church minister jailed for historical sex offences – Crown Prosecution Service
‘A former church minister has been jailed for historical sex offences committed over a period of 22 years.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 10th April 2018
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
Clerical abuse of spiritual power and authority: Penalty – Law & Religion UK
‘Our post on 12 March 2018 reported the announcement by the Diocese of Oxford that a two-year penalty had been imposed on the Revd Timothy Davis, following the recent penalty hearing, Decision of the CDM Tribunal, 8 December 2017, (“the Abingdon case”). The Determination of the penalty has now been published formally by the CofE and in this post we examine aspects of “clerical abuse of spiritual power and authority”, raised in this decision and in the evidence given to the IICSA hearing on the Anglican Church.’
Law & Religion UK, 26th March 2018
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
