There has been extensive media coverage of this, following its publication last Friday.
This morning’s Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4 carried a 9 minute segment including interviews with David Greenwood and Bishop Peter Hancock. You can listen to that in full here.
The Church of England disregarded dozens of allegations in its inquiry into child sexual abuse and then downplayed the issue to protect its reputation, a critical report has found.
A report by former Barnardo’s chief executive Sir Roger Singleton found that close to 100 cases were whittled down to just a handful for a review released in 2010…
BBC Church of England ‘needs to review’ abuse inquiry in seven dioceses
Times (£) Church of England inquiry missed abusers, review finds
ITV Church of England’s 2010 review of sex abuse was ‘botched’ and ‘flawed’
Christian Today Church review of abuse cases failed to show full picture
Press Association via Guardian C of E ordered investigation after ‘botched’ 2010 abuse inquiry
And there is more:
Singleton’s report shows the chaotic way in which alleged and real sexual abuse has been dealt with by the Church to protect its reputation…and, along with the Carlile Report, this would suggest Bishop George Bell was ‘thrown under the bus’ by the Church he so loved.
I do not understand why the Church seems to want to put itself in the position of re-publishing accusations that it knows may be false. That only compounds the problem legally, and it’s an own goal reputationally.
“General Synod, meeting next month, must decide where to take the next stage of Safeguarding. Whitewash, cover-up even outright lying will no longer do. The Synod must oversee not only good practice but also justice…”
~ Stephen Parsons