Sky News
November 9, 2011
http://news.sky.com/home/article/16106903
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| St Benedict's Catholic Church in Ealing, London |
Monks must be stripped of control at a leading Catholic school after decades of child sex abuse, according to an independent inquiry.
Lord Carlile of Berriew detailed 21 separate abuse cases since 1970 at St Benedict's School under Ealing Abbey's watch.
They include the case of Father David Pearce - referred to as the "devil in a dog collar" - who was jailed in 2009 for a catalogue of abuse against five boys over a period of 36 years.
"I have come to the firm conclusion... that the form of governance of St Benedict's School is wholly outdated and demonstrably unacceptable," Lord Carlile said in his report.
"The abbot himself has accepted that it is 'opaque to outsiders'."
The report added: "In a school where there has been abuse, mostly - but not exclusively - as a result of the activities of the monastic community, any semblance of a conflict of interest, of lack of independent scrutiny, must be removed."
The crimes of Pearce in particular illustrate how "St Benedict's rule of love and forgiveness appears to have overshadowed responsibility for children's welfare," Lord Carlile went on.
The inquiry began last year after a former head was convicted of abusing five boys.
According to campaigners, those affected may number in the hundreds.
School chiefs have offered a "heartfelt apology for past failures".
Headmaster Chris Cleugh admitted the west London school "could have, and should have, done more" to stop the abuses.
St Benedict's abbot Martin Shipperlee commissioned the independent review before the Vatican announced it had ordered a separate inquiry into historic sex offences.
Its publication comes a day after the High Court ruled the Catholic Church can be held liable for the wrongdoings of its priests.
Police have also revealed they are hunting Father Laurence Soper over allegations of child abuse dating back to when he taught at St Benedict's.
Father Soper, who was abbot of Ealing Abbey from 1991 to 2000, is believed to have been living in a monastery in Rome.
He was due to return to London in March to answer bail but failed to appear.
Parents gathered at the school last night to hear the Mr Cleugh give his response to the report.
Philip Catterall, whose 11-year-old son attends the school, said that the report's findings were "very, very shocking".
He said: "There were some tough questions for both the head and the abbot - some very hard questions.
"There was anger in the meeting ... there were some raised voices. Not shouting, I would say, but certainly some very direct, angry questions."
But he added that "most parents felt at the end pretty positive".
Another parent, Manoj Prakash, said: "Parents want to know more about what is going to be put in place to protect the children.
"All the parents are very concerned: will the new policies in place be practised and are they enough to protect the children?
"The school is very clear that changes will come and take effect and I think parents who are not happy about it can move children outside the school."
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