The archbishop of Canterbury will give evidence today before a
hearing questioning whether the Church of England colluded in and
covered up child sexual abuse by priests.
Justin Welby will go
before the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse this morning
which is holding three weeks of hearings into the diocese of Chichester
as a case study for the wider Church.
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| IICSAProfessor Alexis Jay chairs The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). |
The
inquiry, set up in 2015 under the then home secretary Theresa May, is
investigating 13 institutions across England and Wales to examine how
they dealt with allegations of child sexual abuse.
In his written statement to the inquiry Welby offered his deep regret at the abuse perpetrated by priests.
'The
failures that we have seen are deeply shaming and I personally find
them a cause of horror and sadness,' he said. 'That children have been
abused in the communities of the church is indeed shameful.'
The
Church has upped its spending on safeguarding fivefold since 2014 as it
tries to address failings. But despite being predicted to spend more
than £5million across dioceses in 2018, the Church still faced more than
700 abuse allegations or concerns against church figures in 2016 alone.
The Church's lead bishop on safeguarding, Peter Hancock, warned before the hearings the Church would 'feel a deep sense of shame' at the evidence that would emerge through the hearings.
'This will not be an easy couple of years – we will hear deeply painful accounts of abuse, of poor response, of "cover up",' he told the ruling general synod in February.
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| Justin Welby spoke to ITV News and Sky News after the publication of his book 'Reimagining Britain' |
The inquiry, now in its third week of hearings, has so far heard damning evidence of the Church's culture of deference that meant allegations against priests went unreported, how the Church's attitude to homosexuality affected it's response to abuse and how child victims were made to feel responsible for their abuse.
Last week Welby praised the 'brave' victims who had come forward and said he was committed supporting the inquiry.
'The
Church of England was one of the first institutions to call for the
Inquiry and IICSA notes that allegations of child sexual abuse within
the Anglican Church are matters of ongoing public concern,' he said in a
statement. 'I know that for the survivors who are brave enough to give
their testimony, this will be a very difficult time and I pray that the
lessons we learn from the Inquiry will help make the Church a safer
place for all. I am absolutely committed to supporting the work of IICSA
and responding openly and constructively as a witness.'
