Church sex abuse inquiry to start

THE Roman Catholic church in England will come under intense scrutiny this week over its handling of child sexual abuse and the coverup of predatory priests by bishops and other senior figures.

Survivors of rape and assault will testify over five days at an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, along with church leaders, officials and child protection experts in a case study examining the archdiocese of Birmingham.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, will give evidence in person tomorrow — the first time the most senior Catholic in England has been crossexamined under oath. He was archbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009. Archbishop Bernard Longley, the current archbishop of Birmingham, will also be crossexamined. All other earlier archbishops of the diocese have died.

A series of scandals has shaken the global church this year, embroiling Pope Francis in the biggest crisis of his papacy. At a preliminary hearing in September Alexis Jay, who chairs the sex abuse inquiry, said it would examine ‘‘the extent of any institutional failures’’ by the church in Birmingham to protect children.

Birmingham was chosen as a case study because it is the largest archdiocese in England, stretching from StokeonTrent to Reading.

The hearing is expected to focus on the cases of Fr Samuel Penney and Fr James Robinson, who were convicted of child abuse, and two other priests against whom allegations were made.

Earlier this month, churches across the archdiocese read out a letter from Longley that said he and Nichols were ‘‘at one in our sense of shame and sorrow’’ over abuse.

Two reports commissioned by the archdiocese had highlighted serious past failures and current areas requiring significant improvement, Longley told parishioners.

‘‘We are acting promptly to put their recommendations into action,’’ Longley said.

The two archbishops were united ‘‘in our willingness to assist this public inquiry and to learn from its findings’’, he said.

Longley’s letter followed one sent by Nichols in August to all parishes in the diocese of Westminster, in which he said he took personal responsibility for the church’s failures to protect children.

‘‘I am utterly ashamed that this evil has, for so long, found a place in our house, our church,’’ he wrote.

‘‘I bear this shame in a direct way, for it is the direct responsibility of a father to protect his household from harm, no matter how difficult and complex that might be.’’

David Enright, who represents a number of survivors as head of the child abuse team at Howe & Co solicitors, said the church was ‘‘structurally incapable of implementing minimum uniform standards of child protection’’. The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults should be taken out of its hands.

‘‘The Catholic church, as currently constituted, in relation to child safeguarding, presents a clear and present danger to British children,’’ he said. — Guardian News and Media

❛ I am utterly ashamed that this evil has, for so long, found a place in our house, our

church