Iceland: Bishop's Daughter: 'Sexual Assaulter Once Came to Power – It Can't Happen Again'

June 4, 2013

http://www.pressan.is/News/ReadIcelandicNews/iceland-bishops-daughter-sexual-assaulter-once-came-to-power--it-cant-happe?Pressandate=20090416+and+user%3D0+and+1%3D1%2Fleggjumst-oll-a-eitt%2Fleggjumst

Ólafur Skúlason, previous bishop

Guðrún Ebba Ólafsdóttir – daughter of the late Ólafur Skúlason, previous bishop – wants that every preventative measure be taken to ensure that no sexual offender is able to reach the highest position of any church ever again. Guðrún has invited the Church council (“Kirkjuráð) – the highest executive authority of the Church in Iceland – to a meeting, after her request for a hearing.

As the newspaper DV has discussed in the previous week, Guðrún supported Sigríður Pálína Ingvarsdóttir’s claims, accusing bishop Ólafur of sexual abuse and a rape attempt.

Sigríður had a meeting with the Church Council and presented her side of the story. Guðrún requested to meet the bishop last Spring but never received a reply. She lobbied her claim to the entire Council this Spring and will be allowed another meeting this Fall.

Below is an excerpt of Guðrún’s letter to the Council a year ago. She confirms in a conversation with Pressan that the letter is real, but does not know how it was leaked:

“It is an important issue to me that the Church will attempt with all its capacities to ensure that this does not happen again; that sexual offenders cannot reach the highest positions of respect. I think it is necessary for the Icelandic national Church to take a clear position against sexual abuse and publicly condemn it as sin. The Church must side with the victims, and many of the victims are having religious difficulties – and feel that God has betrayed them. I also think it is important for priests, and everybody else working for the Church, to receive the necessary information about sexual abuse.”

In other aspects, Guðrún does not wish to comment on the issue. She does not know when the meeting with the Church Council will be, but will soon find out. She hopes that such abuse does not repeat itself.