Catholic church in Scotland must support abuse survivors, review says

The Guardian
August 18, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/18/catholic-church-in-scotland-must-support-abuse-survivors-review-says

The former head of the Catholic church in Scotland, Cardinal O’Brien, touches his cross. Pope Francis accepted his resignation earlier this year because of sexual misconduct. Photo by David Moir

The Catholic church in Scotland must address the wrongs of the past, an independent review of its handling of abuse allegations has said.

A commission led by the Very Rev Andrew McLellan recommended that the church’s safeguarding guidelines be updated and called for survivors of abuse to be prioritised.

The former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and one-time chief inspector of prisons, was given the job of evaluating the procedures in place to protect vulnerable children and adults and ensuring the church was “a safe place for all”.

At a press conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday to set out the findings of his 11-member commission, he said: “Nothing in our independent report is more important than our first recommendation: that support for the survivors of abuse must be an absolute priority for the Catholic Church in Scotland.”

The commission has also recommended that a public apology is made to survivors of abuse within the church.

It was set up in November 2013 by the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland in response to a series of scandals, including the resignation of disgraced cardinal Keith O’Brien.

He stepped down from the archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh in February 2013 after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.