Anglicans ‘lagging behind’ in dealing with abuse cases

SEXUAL abuse claims that have rocked the Anglican Church are harming the Church, Dr Wim Dreyer, senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s Theology department, has said.

The claims were bad for the reputation of the Church, he said.

In recent weeks, four people revealed experiences of sexual abuse in two Anglican dioceses during the 1970s and 1980s.

Dreyer said that while the offences were not committed by members of the clergy, the Church got a bad name.

“There is a general opinion that this (sexual abuse) is tolerated by the Church.

“The message that needs to go out is that churches cannot afford to tolerate it.”

Dreyer said that unlike in the Middle Ages, the Church did not have special powers and those who committed crimes were prosecuted, as would any other criminal.

“The people in the Church are still just people and we have to work with that brokenness. We are all born with faults and weaknesses and becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you will now be living on cloud nine.

“But because it (sexual abuse) happens, it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with the Church.”

He said there had been meetings with various churches where an ethical code of conduct was discussed.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said discussions about charges of sexual abuse had been ongoing within the Church.

“Last month, before these developments, the Synod of Bishops held a detailed discussion on the worldwide Anglican Communion’s ‘Safe Church Network’.

“This is an international body on which we are represented, founded some years ago in response to what the Communion has acknowledged is the betrayal of trust by some clergy and church workers who have abused children and adults for whom they have had pastoral responsibility.”

Makgoba added that while church law made provision for someone who held a licence to minister to be charged before the church tribunal, he now advised complainants to lay charges with the police.

“However, it is clear from the experiences reported in the last few weeks that we are lagging behind in our care for victims of abuse. In Cape Town, I established a team some years ago to advise me on the handling of complaints. The team included a psychologist, a lawyer and a priest.

“I wrote to all our bishops last week advising them to establish similar advisory teams,” said Makgoba.