Catholic Church issues 'profound' apology to victims of child sex abuse, by Auslan Cramb, Telegraph (August 18, 2015)

The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland has offered a “profound apology” to the victims of child sex abuse after a damning review said it must rid itself of systems “which allow evil”.

A commission led by Dr Andrew McLellan, a former moderator of the Church of Scotland, said support for those abused must be an “absolute priority” if the church was to restore its credibility.

He called for an “unmistakable and unequivocal” apology to the survivors of abuse and warned his report represented an “unrepeatable chance” to make things better.

The churchman said that if the opportunity was missed, survivors would know there was “no hope left for them within the Catholic Church in Scotland”.

Dr McLellan was asked to review how the church handles allegations of abuse following a series of scandals, including the resignation of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the former leader of the church north of the border, and allegations of sexual abuse at the former Catholic boarding school at Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia responded to the critical review by admitting Scottish bishops were "shamed and pained" by the suffering of those who had been harmed.

He added: "As the president of the Bishops' Conference, and on behalf of all the bishops of Scotland, I want to offer a profound apology to all those who have been harmed and who have suffered in any way as a result of actions by anyone within the Catholic Church.

"Child abuse is a horrific crime. That this abuse should have been carried out within the church, and by priests and religious, takes that abuse to another level.

"Such actions are inexcusable and intolerable. The harm the perpetrators of abuse have caused is first and foremost to their victims, but it extends far beyond them, to their families and friends, as well as to the church and wider society." He added: “We say sorry. We ask forgiveness.”

The archbishop, speaking during his homily at St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow, added that the report’s eight recommendations had been accepted and gave the church "a vision and a programme" to strengthen safeguarding.

But according to one survivor of abuse, the apology was not enough. Andy Lavery, of White Flower Alba, a survivor's advocacy group, said: “It does not cut any ice with me, it does not cut any ice with the families of all the lads I went to school with, or never even knew at school, who committed suicide through the trauma of their endurance at that awful school, and that is just one Catholic school.”

Alan Draper, for INCAS, which supports survivors of in-care abuse, told BBC Radio Scotland the report exposed the church’s lack of support to victims, adding: “Justice has not been done, justice has been denied. It is an absolute catalogue of failing.”

Launching the 11-man commission’s report, Dr McLellan said that if the church failed to seize the opportunity its public credibility would be “destroyed”.

He added: "I believe our report gives the bishops the beginning of a way to change.

"The way to change which they all say they want - from secrecy to openness, from systems which allow evil to survive to systems which ensure that good is done."

He said support for the survivors was central to the church confronting its “dark” past, adding: “That means that three things will happen. First and most important a beginning will be made to heal the hurt and address the anger which so many survivors feel.

"Second, the Catholic Church in Scotland will begin to confront a dark part of its past and find some healing for itself.

"Third, a significant step will be taken in restoring public credibility for the Catholic Church."

The report recommends safeguarding policies are rewritten and subject to external scrutiny and calls for a consistent approach to allegations of abuse.

The commission was set up in 2013 after Cardinal O’Brien resigned having admitted sexual misconduct following allegations from three priests and a former priest.

Alongside the review, the church published details of “safeguarding audits” from 2006 to 2012, revealing a total of 46 allegations, or which 55 per cent related to sexual abuse and 19 per cent to physical abuse.

There have been no prosecutions in 61 per cent of cases reported. Fifteen allegations were made in 2013, six of which were historical.