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Former Archbishop of York ‘hid child sexual abuse here and in Britain
By Michael Mckenna
Australian
October 23, 2014
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/former-archbishop-of-york-hid-child-sexual-abuse-here-and-in-britain/story-fngburq5-1227099145278
ONE of the most senior Anglican clergymen in the world covered up horrific sexual abuse of children in Australia and Britain, according to an independent inquiry whose findings have rocked the church worldwide.
Lord David Hope of Thornes, formerly the Archbishop of York, was slammed by the church-ordered inquiry, which found that he kept allegations against Robert Waddington secret from police and that his biased internal investigation into pedophile clergyman had put more children at risk.
Lord Hope, then the second-highest-ranking official in the Church of England, was also accused of compromising potential police investigations in both countries and misleading Queensland victim Bim Atkinson into dropping his fight against the church.
Victims of Waddington are calling for Lord Hope, who was knighted for his services to the Queen, to be stripped of his life peerage in the House of Lords.
Headed by English judge Sally Cahill, the 12-month inquiry was ordered last year after a joint investigation by The Australian and London’s The Times exposed a high-level cover-up into the 1999 and 2003 allegations into the late reverend Waddington.
The Cambridge-educated Waddington was principal of a Anglican boarding school in far north Queensland for almost a decade until 1970, before returning to England where he rose to become the head of education for the church in Britain and later dean of Manchester. The newspaper investigation revealed that at least six boys and a young clergyman were sexually abused and beaten by Waddington in Britain and Australia.
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