Clergy Must Be Retrained to Deal with Abuse Claims, Bishops to Be Told
By Harry Farley
The Bishop of Crediton, Sarah Mullally, will present an action plan to the Church of England's House of Bishops in York, according to the Guardian. In it she will recommend that bishops' local power be curtailed so that a consistent, nationwide response can be implemented. The Archbishop of Canterbury asked Mullally to compile the report amid accusations the Church continued to ignore or even bully those who came forward with allegations of sex abuse. One victim who has raised his right to anonymity said he experienced "enduring harassment, vilification and intimidation" from senior clergy when he tried to speak about his experiences. The Church of England's devolved structure means each bishop retains control over the systems in their diocese. It is as yet unclear whether the House of Bishops will accept the reduction in control proposed by Mullally's report. Advertisement Phil Johnson, from the organisation Macsas who support survivors of sexual abuse in the Church, told the Guardian: "It's very difficult to get real change through the House of Bishops." He said: "The church really needs to tackle and modernise its archaic structures to ensure more accountability." The bishops may defer their decision on the plan until September. A CofE spokesperson said: "The House of Bishops takes all safeguarding work very seriously and it is a standing item on the agenda. "Bishop Sarah Mullally is working closely with the national safeguarding team to implement the recommendations of the Elliott review, and she will be presenting key messages on this to the House at its meeting this month."
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