Findings of abuse probe ‘ignored by Catholic Church’
THE Catholic Church in Scotland has been accused of ‘ignoring’ a report which called for major reforms to prevent abuse. Dr Andrew McLellan, a former Church of Scotland moderator, made a raft of recommendations in August last year following a review into abuse allegations connected with the Church.
Yesterday he said he was frustrated by a lack of progress in implementing the reforms and claimed the Church was in danger of ‘confirming the worst fears of survivors and observers by appearing to ignore this report’.
In 2014, Dr McLellan was tasked with proposing ways to make the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland ‘a safe place or all’. The Church was forced to apologise to abuse victims after the McLellan Commission accused it of ‘allowing evil to survive’ amid a culture of secrecy and cover-up.
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia said the Church had been ‘shamed’ by child abuse and asked victims for forgiveness. Bishops admitted to the Commission that the Church had been more interested in protecting its own reputation and its priests than helping victims.
One of the most horrifying cases involved an eight-year-old girl who was locked in a room and sexually abused by a nun.
Now an adult, she told the Commission: ‘I told the priest in confession, the priest told the nun and together they raped me.’
But yesterday Dr McLellan said a lack of transparency about the implementation of his recommendations could undermine the Church’s efforts. He added: ‘I am disappointed... that there has been no attempt to communicate to the people of Scotland and to survivors.
‘The absence of priority to survivors weakens whatever reforms they are making to our recommendations.’
Last night Alan Draper of In Care Abuse Survivors group said: ‘The Church appears to be suggesting they have involved survivors in the planning of the implementation of the McLellan Commission’s report.
‘The opposite is the truth. we have made frequent requests to be involved in the various implementation groups, without success. The Church has failed in its responsibilities.’
Mr Draper added that the ‘hypocrisy’ was ‘abhorrent’.
The row comes as victims campaign for the scope of a Scottish Government inquiry into historical child abuse to be widened to include the Catholic Church and other institutions such as the Scouts.
The assistant general secre- tary of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, Father Tom Boyle, said the commitment to implement the recommendations had ‘not diminished in any way’ and that ‘every recommendation would be implemented’.
He added that three months after the publication of Dr McLellan’s findings, bishops had published a detailed implementation plan, describing how all of the recommendations would be acted upon.
The church said an independent review group, as recommended by Dr McLellan, was being established, with its first task being to review the implementation plan’s progress.
Father Boyle said: ‘Transparency and openness are at the heart of the church’s safeguarding mission.
‘In releasing his report last year, Dr McLellan described the bishops’ decision to ask a minister of the Church of Scotland to carry out this review as demonstrating “ecumenical trust” and “generosity of spirit”.
‘Since the church allowed Dr McLellan two years to write his recommendations without comment, it is hoped that in the same spirit of trust and generosity, the Church will be given at least the same amount of time to implement them.’
‘No attempt to communicate’