Complete change needed

Well done to James Hardy who gave us an intriguing look into current clerical hypocrisy by revealing the hidden bullying that has dogged the Church of England for decades (Some dill for the collection plate, The News, March 29, 2024).

The C of E’s inaptly tagged safeguarding procedure to protect the non-ordained and church personnel from harm has ignited an internecine dioceses war of words over the longstanding insistence on marking its own homework, ignoring concerns, and removing people perceived as a nuisance.

Matters came to a head in February 2023 following the archbishops of Canterbury and York commissioning professor Alexis Jay to report on a potential overhaul of the Church safeguarding structures.

The lack of impartiality was perceived as failing to hold the church to account for protecting people’s rights to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.

After hundreds of interviews with victims and survivors of church abuse, along with members of the clergy, volunteers, and safeguarding professionals, professor Jay concluded a complete change was necessary to restore trust and confidence in church safeguarding and called for root and branch reform.

The primary recommendation was to completely overhaul the existing safeguarding policy to shift responsibility away from individual dioceses to two new bodies who would be completely independent of church authorities.

In a scathing commentary, professor Jay argued church safeguarding currently fell below standards of secular organisations, with inconsistent guidance, data collection, accountability, professional practice, and scrutiny.

But despite Mr Hardy fearlessly exposing the C of E’s clerical hypocrisy to the light of day, the internal Church battle to implement a vison for reform rages on.

The silence of the Portsmouth diocese on this matter is deafening.

R. Thomson Gosport