Thinking Anglicans

BBC challenges accuracy of Chichester sex abuse report

Updated Wednesday 20 July

The BBC has reported that:

A review of how the Church of England dealt with two paedophile priests contains significant inaccuracies, a BBC investigation has found.

The review, carried out by Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss for the Church, looked at how historic claims of abuse by two Sussex priests were handled.

Evidence obtained by BBC South East appears to show a bishop provided incorrect information to the inquiry.

The Church said the new information did not undermine the review.

Read the BBC report and watch the video: Church abuse report over Sussex sex abuse ‘inaccurate’

Earlier BBC reports are here, and here, and also here.

The Diocese of Chichester earlier issued this press release: Bishop responds to safeguarding report and the actual reports are available as PDF files:

Update
The latest (19 July) BBC report is: Report into paedophile priests Cotton and Pritchard investigated

The Church of England is starting an investigation into how inaccurate information was published in a report on two paedophile priests.

The report, by Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss for the Church, looked at how historic claims of abuse by two Sussex priests were handled.

Lewes and Hastings Archdeacon, the Ven Philip Jones, denied there had been a cover-up.

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Richard Ashby
Richard Ashby
12 years ago

How can it be that any priest, convicted of abuse against a child, is given a licence to continue to officiate at all on retiring when an earlier conviction becomes known and when there has been a major enquiry into the priests activities? Wallace Benn has been accused of serious errors. He clearly didn’t take the issue of abuse seriously. No doubt he was busy ‘converting England’. Another reason for him to resign now rather than next year?

guyer
12 years ago

Well, it seems that we have the same problem over here on our side of the pond:

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2011/7/13/civil-lawsuit-casts-wide-net

and

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/23/2971390/former-leader-of-boys-choir-at.html

If a priest must be told to restrict his/her ministry to a particular demographic, then the priest in question can no longer be seen as a walking sacrament and should therefore be removed from ministry. The same ought to go for a bishop, regardless of his or her politics, who accepts into, or maintains such a person in, their ministry.

Robert ian Williams
Robert ian Williams
12 years ago

Wallace Benn is a God fearing and very decent Christian man, on the forefront of saving the Church of England from the worst excesses of the pink revolution and feminism. Don’t be too hard on him, and remember he grew up in the Plymouth Brethren.

He just got confused.

Peter Edwards
Peter Edwards
12 years ago

Robert Ian Williams: ‘Wallace Benn is a God fearing and very decent Christian man, on the forefront of saving the Church of England from the worst excesses of the pink revolution and feminism. Don’t be too hard on him, and remember he grew up in the Plymouth Brethren. He just got confused.’ Never mind his antecedents. He’s (now, and has been for 14 whole years) also an extremely partisan Area Bishop of Lewes who ought to be spending more time tending the flock at the eastern end of Chichester diocese than he does – and more than anyone needs –… Read more »

Richard Ashby
Richard Ashby
12 years ago

Peter can be assured that there will be many of us in the Chichester diocese doing all we can to ensure that the character of the episcopacy here is fundamentally changed. I hope that those outside it, concerned about the future of our Church of England here, will help us.

JPM
JPM
12 years ago

It looks like Wallace Been should have spent a little more time supervising his clergy and a little less time fighting ideological wars.

Robert ian williams
Robert ian williams
12 years ago

The interesting thing about Wallace is that he is concerned about orthodoxy in the Church of England, but was prepared to turn a blind eye to diocesan bishops, who pretended to offer the Mass, prayed for the dead and to the Saints. As for wearing a mitre, no Church of England Bishop did so, until the late nineteenth century. The first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury to wear one was at the 1937 coronation.It is still not compulsory for a Church of England bishop to wear one. Only two of the Church of Ireland episcopate wear one.. and they are the… Read more »

Lapinbizarre
Lapinbizarre
12 years ago

“He just got confused.” Him and so many bishops in your own church, RIW.

Perry Butler
Perry Butler
12 years ago

Appointments werent +Eric Kemp’s strong suit.Think of Peter Ball to Lewes..like Mr Cameron, he must have been warned! No doubt there have been other poor / odd appointments. Time for a change I would hope. Interesting stuff on the Anglo-Catholic blog ( via theugleyvicar) about +Chichester and some other “conservative” bishops having a meeting with the Pope and speculation by William Tighe that Bp Hind might cross the Tiber after retirement.

Richard Ashby
Richard Ashby
12 years ago

In the light of the following report from the Telegraph in 2009 I think that many of us expect John Hind to cross the Tiber on retirement.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/6424562/Senior-Anglican-bishop-reveals-he-is-ready-to-convert-to-Roman-Catholicism.html

Robert ian williams
Robert ian williams
12 years ago

I wouldn’t be too surpised if Rowan williams converted as well….once he retired!

That sticks in my craw.. waiting to retire, to join the Catholic Church.

Margaret salsbury
Margaret salsbury
12 years ago

The bishops who covered up should be taken to court and a real police investigation be done. Until justice is seen to be done the victims cannot get on with their lives. I know from personal experience. Both C of E and R/C churches in Sussex have a lot to answer too.

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