Child abuse rampant, says Archbishop of Canterbury

By Tim Wood And Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Sunday Times
October 26, 2014

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1476016.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2014_10_25

The archbishop's comments are in a private letter to Marilyn Hawes, whose three sons were allegedly groomed and abused by a Church of England headmaster

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has admitted child abuse has been “rampant” in British institutions and that the church’s failure to “face the misdeeds of those in its service” has been “inexcusable”.

In his most frank comments yet on historic child abuse, Justin Welby admits there is a “very significant legacy of unacknowledged cases” in the Church of England.

His comments are in a private letter to Marilyn Hawes, whose three sons were allegedly groomed and abused by a Church of England headmaster.

She wrote to the archbishop after receiving what she regarded as a cursory two-paragraph reply from an official to a letter in which she said the experience had resulted in her losing faith in the church community.