Christendom (some of them) puts the GB to shame

WideAwake

This article appeared on BBC website today. It seems that some religious leaders are taking the issue seriously. I wonder if the popes in Brooklyn will ever do this as the slate is not wiped clean for the victim when the abuser receives the wages for their sin. If the wages of sin are death, what are the wages for their crime?

Diocese of York abuse inquiry opens clergy files

Church files on deceased clergy who served in the Diocese of York are to be opened as part of an investigation into alleged cases of child abuse.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has ordered all the relevant files from before 1950 until the present day to be scrutinised.

An independent reviewer will examine the batch of files.

Dr Sentamu said the passage of time "did not bring healing to those who may have been abused".

In July the General Synod voted to acknowledge and apologise for past safeguarding wrongs in the Church of England, and to ensure "that steps were taken to make sure that victims of abuse are always actively listened to and offered appropriate support".

'Failure to protect'

Following the vote, the Archbishop of York recalled all the files from the archive of deceased clergy who served in the Diocese of York from before 1950 to the present day.

An independent reviewer will examine the files, the diocese said.

The protocol for the Church of England's National Review of Past Cases of Child Abuse, which took place in 2008/9, did not include the files of deceased clergy, "but it is now recognised that it is important to review these files as well."

The Archbishop of York said: "The damage done by the sexual abuse of children is immense and the passage of time does not in itself bring healing.

"Where young people are shown to have been betrayed by individuals in a position of trust and by the institution's failure to protect them, it is for the church to acknowledge the hurt which has been done, to offer a full apology, and to prove, so far as is possible, that policies and practices are improved such that the same systemic failure could never be repeated."

If anyone wants to report or provide information about known or suspected abuse in the Diocese of York they can speak to one of the archbishop's chaplains by calling 01904 707021.

The diocese said both male and female chaplains were available on the number.

lost

Excellent article

Jesus said 'keep the commandments'

I have been thinking a lot about this lately.

Why do they say the OT covenant is 'done away with', if jesus said 'keep the commandments' that was an order, no confusion.

Ucantnome

i was stalked and assaulted by a man dressed as a cleryman on a train to Leeds as a young man.

jhine

Hi, this article got me thinking and this morning while on cleaning duty I had a word with Mike , my vicar about CoE child protection .He says that every area has a child protection officer , though I am not clear what that job involves exactly . However he also said that any vicar or representative of the church , I think part of the pastoral care team etc whether paid or unpaid has clear guidlines to follow . When someone starts to talk to any of the aformentioned church reps about something that might seem to be leading to an allegation of abuse the listener must say something like " Do you realise that if this conversation is going how I think it is going I will have to inform the police and relevant authorities ? " This then circumvents the problem of confessional privacy . So why can't the Watchtower use a similar system , then they can't use privacy as an excuse for reporting . ( I think I answered my own question there ! )

I asked him what you do if someone then said that they did not want the matter reported and so did not finish the coversation , but you knew then what the problem was . This then becomes difficult , Milke thought, because if you say to the person "well I think that you need help , go to your doctor( for example ) any professional would have to report , as far as he knows .

Someone would have to correct me about the last bit if that is not right . If it is then it might make it dificult to get help if you want the matter keping private .

However I felt good about the Cof E response to child abuse after that conversation . The church knows that lay people ie. people not trained specifically to deal with abuse victims should not get involved . Ministers can offer spiritual help , that is their training but let the professionals do their job . Mike also said that , of course child safety and preventing any further abuse is the first consideration.

Here endeth the Cof E advertisment . It is nice to be able to report something very positive for a change .

Phizzy

The WT is so far behind others in this, one has to wonder if there is something sinister in their reluctance to introduce even the minimum of protection for the vulnerable.

The accusation has been made by another poster on here that those at the top of the WT are probably Paedophiles themselves, hence their establishment and continued support for the world of the the JW's as a "Paedophiles Paradise".

One wonders.

DATA-DOG

I am sure the GB would approve of an unbiased outsider going through the WTBTS's records in the interests of their fellow man, and children everywhere. Just look at how eager they were to support the Working with Children regulations in Victoria, Australia.