Child abuse 'rampant' in British institutions..., by Sara Malm, Sunday Mail (October 26, 2014)

Child abuse 'rampant' in British institutions, says Archbishop of Canterbury as he apologises for 'significant legacy of unacknowledged cases' in the Church of England

Child abuse has been 'rampant' in the Church of England and other British institutions, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Justin Welby also said there is a 'significant legacy' of cases of child abuse within the church which have been ignored and that its failure to hold abusers to account is 'inexcusable'.

Archbishop Welby made the admissions in a private letter to a mother of three boys who were abused at a Church of England school, reports Exaro, the investigative website.

Writing to a Hertfordshire mother whose sons were groomed and sexually abused by their headmaster, Welby apologised for the church's failure to root out peadophiles.

'I read your story with the same deep sense of sadness and dismay that I have felt on far too many other, similar accounts.

'The betrayal of Christ in such behaviour is complete; the church's failure to face the misdeeds of those in its service is inexcusable.

'I can only apologise for what happened then, and for what has happened now, most sincerely and with deep sorrow.

'It is now clear that in a huge number of institutions and localities, the abuse of children and vulnerable adults has been rampant.

'That is not in any way mitigation or excuse for the church, but is why I have been, with [Durham bishop] Paul Butler, pushing for the public inquiry that the government has promised.'

'It is also clear that there is a very significant legacy of unacknowledged cases in the Church of England. We are taking all necessary steps to face these.'

Marilyn Hawes says she had tried and failed on several occasions to get an apology from the church, before finally getting a response from Welby.

Ms Hawes, a former music teacher who now runs an anti-abuse charity, first wrote to Rowan Williams in 2003 after her sons' abuser was convicted. The headmaster was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

She wrote: 'I have been an active church-goer my whole life - 50 years - and for the first time I am doubting, not my faith, but the sincerity, value and integrity of a church community.'

She received a two-paragraph, routine reply from an official, but decided to try to contact the church again after Welby was appointed as archbishop of Canterbury last year.

She wrote that the church community 'abandoned' her, saying: 'I went on to have a nervous breakdown and suicidal thoughts. People would cross the road or exit the Post Office rather than face me. Nobody from the church cared.'

Her sons, now adults, had 'achieved great things', she wrote, and had 'overcome the sexual abuse'.

However, she added, 'Nobody in any church has shown them any active help.'

Welby's comments come as the CoE plans to roll out training on safeguarding children for all its clergy.

Tim Loughton, former children's minister, said: 'The new archbishop should be congratulated for clearly focussing on the wrongs of the past throughout the church and his determination that every effort should be made to prevent them again in the future.'