A Response From The Rector of St Anne’s:
The resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury this week is a reminder that no Christian is exempt from bearing some responsibility for ensuring that the church is a place of safety for their brothers and sisters in Christ, and for all who cross its threshold. I think it is right that Justin has stood down for two reasons. Firstly, it would clearly be wrong for an Archbishop not to be held to the same level of accountability as ordinary parish clergy: as Jesus said ‘to those who have been given much, much is to be expected’. But secondly, and more importantly, it is a basic Christian principle that our words must be backed up with actions- it is how the sincerity of those words is tested and proven. To initially apologise with words alone was an inadequate response in the face of such a serious failure of duty. However, he has now done the right thing and some of the vilification he has subsequently attracted is unworthy of Christian disciples.
At the heart of all this, though, is not Archbishop Justin but those who have suffered, and continue to suffer, as a result of the wicked actions of individuals; actions which have been perpetuated under the guise of the Christian faith, with at times the collusion or complicity of the institutional church. I do not know how redress for the abuse that has been inflicted on an anyone can be adequately made, though my instinct says that knowing that perpetrators face justice and seeing the church making serious and credible steps to change might be healing.
So, my prayer at this time is that all who have suffered abuse or harm within the church may find release from their trauma and real peace, and that, for the sake of those it is called to serve, the church may become more genuinely Christlike through this time of its shaming and self-examination.
A Statement From The Bishop of London:
For survivors of church abuse this period has been - and will continue to be - an immensely painful and challenging time. I know you are deeply conscious of this. Many of you have said how difficult it was to stand before your congregations last Sunday, after the Makin Review revealed the abhorrent crimes of John Smyth and the tragic failures of the Church’s response.
You will know people in your congregation who have suffered abuse, some of whom have been retraumatised by the inaction or deeply inadequate response of the Church. There will also be victims and survivors of whom we are unaware.
Given the contents of the Makin Report, and its ongoing reverberations, including the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury today, it will be with a grave sense of responsibility and no little trepidation that we face the next phase in the life of the Church of England. I am conscious that this Sunday - Safeguarding Sunday – will seem more important than ever.
In this crucial moment, we have the opportunity to recognise our individual and collective responsibility for those in our pastoral care; to lament deeply the history of our Church; and to renew our determination to achieve the rigorous and thorough reset of safeguarding structures necessary to deliver a safer church.
Central to this must be a genuinely survivor-focused approach, with independent scrutiny and mandatory reporting. A safe church can no longer remain just an aspiration, and survivors must be key architects and adjudicators of the process to get us there.
You are very much in my thoughts and prayers as, together, we lament the past and set about the vital task of creating a better future.
Comments