The Catholic Church has prioritised its own reputation over the welfare of vulnerable children for decades, according to a damning new report.
The most senior Catholic leader in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, has also been criticised for seemingly prioritising the church over victims of sexual abuse by priests.
The Church's “moral purpose was betrayed over decades” by those who sexually abused children and those who “turned a blind eye” to it - a report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has found.
“The Church’s neglect of the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of children and young people in favour of protecting its reputation was in conflict with its mission of love and care for the innocent and vulnerable,” it states.
More than 900 complaints involving over 3,000 instances of child sexual abuse were recieved by the Catholic Church in England and Wales between 1970 and 2015.
Since 2016, there have been more than 100 reported allegations each year.
The true scale of abuse over the last 50 years is likely to have been far higher, the report authors believe.
There were two serious incident reports made against The Salford Diocesan Trust recorded by the Charity Commission between April 2014 and July 2019.
The Inquiry examined the response of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales to allegations of child sexual abuse, as well as the adequacy of current safeguarding policies and practices.
A number of witnesses, including some safeguarding staff within the Church, spoke of the need for improvements to training.
Among them was Dawn Lundergan, director of Safeguarding at the Diocese of Salford.
She said: “The development of a nationally approved accredited training programme for those at all levels who are involved with safeguarding would be worthy of serious consideration to aim at consistent and robust training for all at whatever the appropriate levels their roles may entail.”
The report found that: “While there have undoubtedly been improvements in the Church’s response to child sexual abuse, based on the evidence we heard, Church leaders need to do more to encourage and embed a culture of safeguarding throughout the entire Catholic Church in England and Wales.”
The report found that Cardinal Nichols had, at times, preferred “to protect the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and in Rome” rather than victims and survivors of abuse.
Cardinal Nichols - who is the Archbishop of Westminster Diocese - “demonstrated a lack of understanding” of the impact of abuse on some victims and “seemingly put the reputation of the church first”, the Inquiry found.
When Cardinal Nichols apologised for the Church’s failings during an IICSA hearing in 2018, report authors say he did not acknowledge any personal responsibility or show compassion for victims in the recent cases.
In his evidence to the inquiry, Cardinal Nichols said: “I repeat, as I did last time, my sorrow and dismay and apology, unreserved apology, to those who have suffered the horror of child abuse within the context of the Catholic Church and those who have subsequently been treated badly by us.”
The report added: “The responses of Church leaders over time were marked by delay in implementing change as well as reluctance to acknowledge responsibility, to hold individuals to account or to make sincere apologies.
“They conveyed on occasions a grudging and unsympathetic attitude to victims.
“Failure in some of these areas contributed to more children experiencing actual abuse and many others being exposed to the risk of sexual abuse.”
The Holy See and the Apostolic Nuncio, its ambassador to the UK, did not provide a witness statement to the Inquiry - despite repeated requests.
They had been asked about the Apostolic Nuncio’s involvement in handling child sexual abuse allegations at Ealing Abbey, as well as other issues.
The report concludes that the Holy See’s actions stand in direct contrast with Pope Francis’ public statement on child sexual abuse in 2019, calling for “concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church”.
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of the Inquiry, said: “For decades, the Catholic Church’s failure to tackle child sexual abuse consigned many more children to the same fate.
“It is clear that the Church’s reputation was valued above the welfare of victims, with allegations ignored and perpetrators protected.
“Even today, the responses of the Holy See appear at odds with the Pope’s promise to take action on this hugely important problem.
“While some progress has been made, there still needs to be lasting change to culture and attitudes to avoid repeating the failures of the past.”
The 147-page report finds that the Catholic Church repeatedly failed to support victims and survivors, while taking positive action to protect alleged perpetrators, including moving them to different parishes.
Victims who gave evidence to the Inquiry described lifelong effects of the abuse they suffered, including depression, anxiety, self-harming and trust issues.
“Appalling accounts” of sexual abuse of children perpetrated by clergy and others associated with the Roman Catholic Church were heard, as well as details of “sadistic beatings driven by sexual gratification, and often involved deeply manipulative behaviour” by those in positions of trust.
The report states: “One witness said “the psychological effects have continued ever since, resulting in years of unbearable guilt, depression, nightmares, anxiety and PTSD symptoms”.
“Another victim said the abuse which he experienced at junior and senior residential schools affected every aspect of his life, and led to him self-harming. It “nearly wrecked” his marriage and “destroyed my trust, not just in the church but in any authority”.
“In another instance, a young boy estimated that he was abused several hundred times by a senior priest between the ages of 11 and 15 years. After each incident he was required to make confession, and the priest concerned made it plain that his sister’s place at a local convent school depended on his compliance.”
The report highlighted the case of Father James Robinson, a serial paedophile, who was moved to another parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham after complaints were first made in the 1980s.
He later fled to the US but was extradited back to the UK where he was convicted in 2010 of 21 sexual offences against four boys and jailed for 21 years.
The report also said progress following reviews into the Catholic Church’s handling of allegations, in 2001 and 2007, had been “slow”.
The Inquiry has held seven weeks of public hearings in this investigation, including case studies into the English Benedictine Congregation and the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
It makes seven recommendations to better protect children in future, focusing on key issues including leadership, training and external auditing.
Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire encouraged victims not to suffer in silence.
“This report would not have been possible without brave survivors coming forward to share their experiences and relive the most distressing times of their life, and I would like to praise them for their courage,” she said.
“Anyone in Greater Manchester who has been similarly affected can have confidence that if you come forward, you will be listened to and supported by police and specially trained staff who are ready and committed to helping you and taking care of you.
“You do not have to suffer in silence as many others have done in the past.”
If you have been affected by these issues you can contact Greater Manchester Victims Services on 0161 200 1950 or gmvictims.org.uk. You can also contact Victim Support nationally on 08 08 16 89 111.
Support and advice about all aspects of child sexual exploitation is available from itsnotokay.co.uk
