In response, Bishop Paul Mason, lead bishop for safeguarding in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has vowed to ensure the Church is safe for all.

"I would like to assure Catholics, and indeed anyone who has concerns, that safeguarding is integral to a bishop's work and ministry and that we will not rest in our efforts to make the Church a place of safety and sanctuary for all."

Bishop Mason also issued an apology "for the failings of the past" and pledged to "listen attentively" to victims of abuse.

The report, titled "Attitudes of Catholics in England and Wales to Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church", was conducted by Durham University's Centre for Catholic Studies.

The centre surveyed over 3,000 Catholics in June/July 2022, revealing that 79% of respondents believe the Church must undergo significant change to prevent further abuse.

Lost moral authority

One of the most concerning findings in the report is that over three-quarters (77%) of Catholics believe the Church has lost its moral authority due to the abuse crisis.

The sample featured regular and occasional Mass-goers alongside those identifying as Catholic but no longer maintaining Mass attendance.

"Overall, our analysis of the data shows that the Catholic community feels abuse is not a uniquely Catholic or clerical problem" said Marcus Pound, one of the report's writers. "However, there is also a conviction that the Church needs to make changes to prevent such abuse happening in the future."

The report follows earlier research published in April titled "The Cross of the Moment" and continues to offer insights on how the Church can improve its safeguarding practices.

Bishop Mason welcomed this ongoing research, stating "We as bishops will never pass up an opportunity to learn from research that can improve our safeguarding work".

Sources

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

"After (the apology) people just came in droves to us," said Nola Jeffrey, executive director of Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society, a substance abuse and trauma help centre in Lantzville, British Colombia.

"We didn't leave until the last person that wanted help was finished," Jeffrey said.

Indigenous Services Canada said the federal government's 24-hour crisis support line has received double the number of callers it usually gets since the Pope arrived for his penitential visit this week.

"The crisis lines are receiving calls from across the country," Kyle Fournier, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, said in an email on Thursday.

"Callers to the crisis lines are expressing a range of different emotions. For some, the Pope's visit and apology may be healing; for others, it may be triggering. Discussions about the harmful legacy of residential schools are important and can also be difficult for many."

On average, Fournier said The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line has received 121 calls a day since January 2022.

But the day the Pope apologised for the cultural destruction and forced assimilation of Indigenous people, the number of callers jumped to 277. The next day, the crisis line received 244 calls.

Fournier said that 300 additional mental wellness and cultural support workers were asked to be at papal events in Alberta. Sixty workers have been asked to be in Quebec, and 40 mental health workers will be on-site in Iqaluit for the papal visit, eight of whom are clinical counsellors.

Jeffery said Canadians need to consider how those who can't let go of their pain can get support for the days, weeks and years to come.

"There's a teaching that it takes seven generations to let go of trauma, and so we're just at the tip of this," she said. "My hope is that we can help our people," she added through tears.

"The Pope didn't talk about how the children were raped, beaten, shamed, starved and how they were experimented on. We need to make our people feel good about themselves. So many of our people are dying."

Jeffrey stated indigenous people thrived for thousands of years before colonisation.

"Colonisation is just a blip in our history," she said. "It's a painful blip, but I know that we can come out of that and be strong and thrive again."

Sources

Toronto Star