Church of England Faces Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse, Yet Denies Any Wrong Doing
By Mriana
The Catholic Church is not the only church to face child sexual abuse scandals. In the wake of child sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church, the Church of England began facing new allegations of failing to protect children after accusations that the former Archbishop of York failed to report child sexual abuse to senior clergy. Lord Hope of Thornes, the former archbishop, said he stripped the Very Rev Robert Waddington, a former dean of Manchester cathedral who was once in charge of church schools, of his right to conduct church services after allegations of child abuse against him. But Hope said he did not report the matter to the police or other child protection agencies because he deemed Waddington did not pose a further risk to children.The Times and the Australian newspapers discovered these allegations of child sexual abuse, which date back to 1999 and 2003, after an investigation. The joint investigation of the two newspapers discovered files that showed Hope was aware of the allegations in during those years and made no reports, covering up the incidents. The Office of the Archbishop of York confirmed it was aware of legal action by an alleged victim. Dean died in 2007. The controversy comes after a report published earlier this month, ordered by former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, warned the church risked a ticking "time bomb" if it failed to take urgent action to prevent further incidents of child abuse.These allegations and cover-ups, which Hope denies, now places responsibility of dealing with the history of child sexual abuse on the newly ordain Archbishop Justin Welby, as well as same-sex marriages and ordaining women. The former archbishop did not deem Waddington a threat after he became sick with throat cancer, strongly denying any cover-up of abuse. 'Throughout my time as bishop and archbishop I always adhered to the statutory practices of the Church of England concerning safeguarding.After revoking Waddington’s permission to officiate services and his ill health after cancer surgery, Hope felt he did not need to take any further action. He added that the action taken was in line with the church's then child protection proceedures and denied that he or his then staff had "acted negligently". Greater Manchester police told the Times they were concerned that the diocese had chosen not to report the case while Waddington was still alive. It was only last October when Eli Ward, a former choirboy, made a report of his alleged abuse to officers.Hope stated “the guidelines did not legally oblige the church to refer allegations made by adults to the authorities, but they did require him to consider whether children might still be at risk and if necessary to ensure that appropriate steps were taken to protect them, including reporting the matter.” Hope said: "In considering whether children would be at risk from Robert Waddington I decided under these guidelines that this would not be the case given his serious ill health following cancer surgery. The following year I revoked Robert Waddington's permission to officiate. He died two years later."Waddington died of throat cancer in 2007. A spokesperson for the office of the Archbishop of York stated he was aware of the personal injury claims and referred the matter to the insurers and solicitors. "The archbishop has not seen that letter of claim. In light of the above, it would not be appropriate at this time for the archbishop to respond to these questions," the spoked Diocese of Manchester said it was aware of the abuse allegations and was "working co-operatively with the parties concerned".According to the Rt Revd Paul Butler, chair of the Churches National Safeguarding Committee, the Church now has a child protection policy in place, but acknowledges the policies of the past failed to protect victims of sexual abuse. "As a church we will always apologise for past systems that let down the vulnerable and offer support to anyone whose life has been affected. We would encourage anyone who has any safeguarding concerns within a church context to come forward with the assurance they will be listened to."According to the Guardian, a report written earlier this month showed that the Church of England “fell woefully short” of protecting children and other vulnerable people from abuse by clergy and other abusers maybe still unidentified. It recommended that every diocese should have a list of qualified people who could support those making allegations against clergy. Investigators said bishops must be given mandatory powers of suspension to ensure that alleged perpetrators were adequately dealt with.According to the Dailymail, the former Archbishop of York denies negligence and covering up the allegations of sexual abuse. One of the victims of Waddington, Eli Ward, was 11 years old when the sexual abuse began and allegedly continued over a five-year period. He told his story to the Dailymail. He said the Dean showed him special favour, helping him with his homework, picking him up in his car to take him to choir practice, asking him out to tea and taking him for days out. He asked Mr Ward’s mother if the boy could stay with him overnight.Ward stated that after telling his wife what happened to him as a child, at the hands of a priest, his relationship with her “split like an axe”.
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