The change in approach comes just days after a report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) lambasted its safeguarding structures and poor treatment of survivors. The work was led by safeguarding consultant Ian Elliott.

In the "Elliott review", Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, is singled out for criticism.

Although survivors have called for him to resign, Nichols says he will stay while the Church reorganises its safeguarding work plan.

After the Elliott report was published, Nichols said the report "brought together a picture of abuse inflicted in the Catholic Church over a period of 50 years, together with detailed accounts of that abuse.

"It is a terrible picture. I remain shocked and ashamed. It is a reality that hangs like a dark cloud over my heart and mind.

"I know that the publication of the Report has renewed in so many the lasting pain and wounds they carry as a result of that abuse, no matter how long ago it happened.

"My first thoughts were and are for them. Indeed many have written to me in these last days. To each and every one, I express my profound sorrow and apologies...".

The review recommends disbanding the current main bodies for safeguarding and replacing them with one institution, the Catholic Safeguarding Agency. This would be a regulatory body determining policy on safeguarding for all dioceses in England and Wales to follow.

A special body would safeguard religious orders.

There would also be a new National Tribunal Service to deal with cases under canon law.

The report recommended, "a structure that was underpinned by a commitment to a Church-wide adoption of a set of safeguarding standards" that would be "empowered to undertake its role as a regulator" and would monitor compliance of the dioceses and other church bodies.

A contract is needed in the absence of a recognitio being provided by Rome, which would enable a general law for the Church in England and Wales to enforce the same safeguarding regime across all dioceses.

In a press statement the bishops said they accepted the recommendations for change.

They expressed their sorrow and committed themselves to "listen more intently" to those who had been abused.

Archbishop McMahon, vice-president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, says Nichols has the bishops' support.

One criticism involves the time it takes the Church to get things done.

The bishops responded saying "the work of implementation" would begin immediately.

So far, there is no timeline for the new safeguarding set-up.

"There is no presumption that their existing membership will have a part to play" in the new safeguarding agency, one bishop says.

There is much groundwork to be done and survivors will need to be consulted.

The report also notes child sexual abuse within the Church is a current problem.

It says since 2016, there have been over 100 reported allegations each year.

Source

• The Tablet
• Independent Catholic News
• Image: BBC

The IICSA says there was a serious failure of leadership by the former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey (1991-2002) in the church's handling of the case of a bishop who eventually went to prison, an official inquiry has concluded.

It also found that Prince Charles and other members of the establishment were misguided in their expressions of support of Peter Ball as he battled the accusations.

Ball, a former bishop, was jailed in 2015, more than 20 years after allegations were made against him.

The allegations were mainly ignored or downplayed by the church.

He had been cautioned by the police in 1993 and resigned as bishop at that time.

However, he was allowed to continue officiating in the church.

The IICSA's 250-page report says Ball "seemed to relish contact with prominent and influential people".

He "sought to use his relationship with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to further his campaign to return to unrestricted ministry".

The prince and his private secretary spoke about Ball to Carey and arranged for the Duchy of Cornwall to buy a property he could rent after he resigned as a bishop.

The prince had been "misguided" and his actions "could have been interpreted as expressions of support for Peter Ball and, given the Prince of Wales's future role within the Church of England, had the potential to influence the actions of the church", the report says.

Prince Charles says it's a "deep regret" he was "deceived" by Ball in the course of their long friendship, which included sending money to him and Ball speaking at the Duchess of Cornwall's father's funeral.

The report also notes Carey showed compassion to Ball that was not extended to Ball's victims. It says Carey displayed overt support for Ball's innocence despite having no justification.

Furthermore, the report says the church's response to allegations of Ball's abuse and to others in the diocese of Chichester was marked by secrecy, prevarication and avoidance of reporting alleged crimes.

Disclosures of abuse were handled inadequately by the church, and responses failed to display an appropriate level of urgency or appreciation of the seriousness of allegations made.

Source

• The Daily Mail
• The Guardian
• New York Times
• Image: Daily Star

Source