Since the SCIE report on Lambeth Palace Safeguarding was published on 28 February, there has been a series of news and comment articles about it. Our reporting of it has been a bit disjointed so for clarification here is a complete record.
Our original 28 February report is here: Lambeth Palace safeguarding audit published. We then published links to six other items in the Comments rather than by amending the original post. We also mentioned two of these in our Opinion roundup on 4 March. Here are all the links:
28 February Anglican Futures: Unbelievable!
28 February Premier Christian News: Welby’s attempts to create safe CofE culture ‘undermined’ through lack of consistency says audit
28 February Church Times: Abuse survivors unhappy with their treatment by Lambeth Palace, audit finds
2 March Jasvinda Sangera Independent Safeguarding Board: Response to SCIE Report on safeguarding practices into Lambeth Palace
3 March Stephen Parsons Surviving Church: Trying to be heard. How Lambeth Palace has let down the Abused in their search for Justice.
4 March The Times (£): Archbishops’ aide criticised for handling of Church of England sex abuse allegations
Now the Church Times has published two further articles (read the earlier one first, to make sense of them):
9 March Church Times: Abuse survivors criticise Bishop Urquhart’s appointment as Bishop to the Archbishops
10 March Church Times: Safeguarding not a responsibility of the Bishop to the Archbishops, Lambeth said
Here is the Lambeth Palace statement: Clarification from Lambeth Palace of current safeguarding arrangements following publication of SCIE report.
I have just read that Fr. Ron Smith of NZ has died https://kiwianglo.wordpress.com/
Surely one of the most prolific contributors here. I never met him, but mourn for him, and his wise words. RIP
Thank you for drawing our attention to this. He will be missed. May he indeed rest in peace.
So, an Audit of “how things are done now”, turns out to be an audit of “how things were done then” and is out of date, immediately. Lambeth say it was published as soon as it could be, but we see clearly that the work was done in March-May last year and the preface is dated this January. The Audit is then dated, separately, Feb 2023, so was available before Synod. In fact it was available, in finished draft before November Synod. And SCIE must feel completely shafted as Lambeth now say “oh, by the way, everything changed after you… Read more »
I know some people are disappointed when there is not a lengthy comment session following posts, but I have sometimes found that when a post hits the issues square on, people are left with little to say or argue about.
The poor state of affairs in Safeguarding across many parts of the senior level of the CofE is so blatant that one has to be a member of the club not to see it and be moved to demand root and branch reform.
We’ve seen how adroitly those who manage the theatre of Synod are able to stifle debate. The recent Synod was a powerful example – ironically despite criticism by a Bishop for this very tactic. Root and branch reform is unlikely to happen. The hierarchy continues to enjoy protected unaccountability and will be keen to preserve this. Nothing holds them to account. They have no real incentive to change. Spin and soundbite can just about skweek the broken structure through and collegiate absorption of embarrassment does the rest. One thing we can usefully do is explore through Church in Parliament the… Read more »
Let’s get the Coronation out of the way and then take stock.