Sex abuse priests could return to church without checks, warns Archbishop of York, by John Bingham, Telegraph (July 11, 2015)

Sex abuse priests could return to church without checks, warns Archbishop of York

Paedophile priests could get back into the pulpit despite a major overhaul of Church of England child protection rules to prevent a repeat of a series of sexual abuse scandals, the Archbishop of York has warned.

Dr John Sentamu voiced alarm that the long-awaited changes to ecclesiastical law, which were passed unanimously by the General Synod on Saturday, might not be enough to stop abusers already been banned from ministry from demanding to be reinstated.

The Archbishop, the second most senior figure in the Church of England, warned that even he has no power to demand to see the files of banned cleric from other dioceses who retire to his area and apply for a new permission to serve as a priest again.

He told the Synod that unless the loophole is closed, abusers could return to serve as priests in a different part of England and potentially reoffend.

Speaking as the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, outlined a swathe of new safeguarding rules to the Synod, Dr Sentamu told of two separate cases where retired priests banned from ministry elsewhere had applied to him for PTO [Permission To Officiate] but refused to take part in a risk assessment.

He said: “I’m sorry Bishop Paul, I’ve listened to the arguments.

“Members of Synod, if this is not done you are going to get people back into ministry without a risk assessment and you may be back in the same difficulty we’re trying to remedy now.”

The debate also heard of a series of other possible shortcomings in the church's new child protection rules.

Bishop Butler disclosed in response to questions that church wardens will still not have to have criminal record checks. One member also revealed that he knew of two “defrocked” Anglican priests in his area who now conduct funerals as so-called “independent celebrants”.

The overhaul of church rules make it easier to suspend a cleric accused of abuse and sweep away time limit on bringing allegations against clergy in sexual cases.

Bishop Butler said: “As a church we must work together, listen to those who have suffered and help to provide protection for those who cannot protect themselves.”

Dr Sentamu praised the new rules overall, but added: “There is a big problem, people who actually have been prohibited … from ministry and they are on the archbishops’ list and the time of prohibition comes to an end and they want to come back to ministry

“You haven’t got the power to request a risk assessment because they are not in ministry, they are not authorised, they are not under canon law as it were, you can’t do anything about it, and they want to come back to ministry.”

He said the two cases he had dealt with had absorbed large amounts of time and money and exposed how he had no legal power to force the clerics to agree to a rsk assessment.

“Believe it or not archbishops have no power of persuasion or coercion, it doesn’t exist,” he said.

He added: “Friends this may delay the canon coming through but I still believe if his power is not put on the statute archbishops can’t quite legitimately refuse.”

But Bishop Butler replied: “If we require a risk assessment and they refuse, then will not give them a PTO and they can only challenge that if there are not good grounds.”

Revd Canon Jonathan Alderton-Ford, of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich diocese, also praised the package of reforms but added: “My one concern is this - I think in the fullness of time we are going to have to have a completely independent organisation to do this because we are placing various key people in difficult positions in being both responsible for pastoral care and at the same time being the prosecutors of those who have done wrong.

“It would be good if we had a completely independent service that could build up experience and expertise.”

Bishop Butler said: “It is something that we examined but at present we do not think that it is the way to go, it would be such a major upheaval in changing how diocese have their own role.