On Tuesday, Richard Scorer (Principal Lawyer at Slater and Gordon) wrote on behalf of one of his clients, Gilo, to both the archbishops. This was a follow-up to an earlier letter of 23 June 2023, to which no substantive reply has yet been received.
The full text of both letters can be read here:
Presumably, it will now fall exclusively to the Archbishop of York to reply.
The first letter was concerned with a meeting which included both National Safeguarding Team members, and representatives of Ecclesiastical Insurance, that took place in August 2016, and the handling of an earlier (2020) complaint about that event.
The second letter seeks to discover the outcome of a further meeting held in June 2024 by the Archbishops’ Council Audit Committee to examine how that 2020 complaint had been handled. To date no report has been issued (and the original 2023 questions remain unanswered).
In addition, the second letter refers to more recent questions raised by Gilo in relation to the York diocesan Past Cases Review 2. Again, no answers have yet been received.
It is interesting, is it not, that Welby and Cottrell cannot find time in their busy schedule to answer these letters, and yet can write at length in support of John Sentamu being given a PtO over the head of another bishop. That’s a very telling insight into their priorities: their mates first, corporate protection second, survivors a far distant third.
Yes, what I see here is a love of the institution and abuse of their social capital, rather than love for the most vulnerable in, and affected by, the Church. Shame on them. Time for the Archbishop of York to stand down too…
Richard Scorer has received no response from either Archbishop across 16 months.
A very timely reminder of this case.
For all their handwringing the archbishops don’t really care about survivors.
The Archbishop of York said that Justin Welby did “The right and honourable thing” in resigning. Will Mr Cottrell now do the same for repeatedly lying to General Synod about the abolition of the ISB and also for failing to provide an answer to Gilo’s solicitor? However, before resigning, could Mr Cottrell tell us why the publication of the heavily-redacted report on John Smyth was delayed by five years and when a timetable was announced for its publication why this was brought forward without consultation and knowing that it would add considerably to the pain of the many, many victims… Read more »