LONDON (UNITED KINGDOM)
La Croix International [France]
February 13, 2025
By LaCroix International with AFP
Members of the General Synod of the Anglican Church rejected a fully independent system for handling sexual abuse complaints, a decision Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, the interim leader, called disappointing.
Members of the General Synod, which meets two or three times a year to decide on matters of doctrine and institutional policy, had to choose between two options February 11 to revamp its complaint system. While one of the options proposed outsourcing the entire process—from receiving the complaint to its review—the other approach was ultimately chosen.
The selected option provided for the creation of a central independent body to handle complaints, but they will still be collected locally by Church representatives already responsible for these issues, PA reported.
A decision deemed disappointing by some Anglican leaders
“We missed the opportunity today to tell victims and survivors, unequivocally, that we hear their concerns about trust in the church,” lamented reformist Bishop Joanne Grenfell, as quoted by the agency.
The Anglican Church has been under intense criticism following multiple sexual abuse scandals. Its former leader, Archbishop Justin Welby, was forced to resign in November due to his handling of a pedophilia case that involved up to 130 victims.
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, who is currently serving as interim head of the Church, is himself under scrutiny for previously keeping in office a priest who the institution had banned from being alone with children after multiple cases of sexual assault.
The prelate, who had supported a fully independent oversight system, said he was “disappointed” with the adopted system. Victims of sexual crimes “and all those whom the church has harmed have been waiting too long for justice,” he emphasized.