Archbishop-Elect Cushley Supports Abuse Inquiry in Scots Church

The Tablet
September 20, 2013

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/latest-news/5677

The new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh who is to be ordained and installed tomorrow has said he would support an inquiry into clerical sex abuse in the Church in Scotland.

Archbishop-elect Leo Cushley, who succeeds Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, is in favour of initiating a process to help develop child protection guidelines and support victims.

Following claims of abuse at the Benedictine Fort Augustus School and its prep school, there have been calls for an inquiry similar to the one conducted by Lord Nolan for the Church in England and Wales in 2001.

A spokesman said that Archbishop Cushley "believes that the Nolan Report was a very useful exercise, whose results pointed to recommendations that had been in place in Scotland for some time."

But he added: "Nevertheless, Mgr Cushley supports any future process which will foster the healing of people harmed and which will allow the development of existing safeguarding protocols in the Church in Scotland."

Separately, a spokesman for the Scottish Bishops' Conference said the bishops would press ahead with an audit of sex abuse case files in dioceses going back 60 years.

The spokesman said: "Mgr Cushley intends to have the Archdiocese of St Andrews And Edinburgh cooperate fully in any exercise."