Backlash as Archbishop holds firm on abuse claim
Chief Reporter THE Archbishop of Canterbury provoked a furious backlash yesterday by accusing supporters of a highly respected bishop of refusing to believe a historic child sex abuse allegation.
The Most Rev Justin Welby has repeatedly declined to apologise for the shredding of the reputation of Bishop George Bell over a single, uncorroborated claim made by a woman dating back more than 60 years.
The Most Rev Welby has been under pressure to say sorry following the publication of an independent report which concluded Bishop Bell’s reputation had been wrongly destroyed.
Senior academics had written an open letter to The Daily Telegraph complaining that the Archbishop had shamed his office with “irresponsible and dangerous” claims that Bishop Bell may have been a paedophile. But the Archbishop issued a statement yesterday standing by his refusal to apologise and taking a sideswipe at Bishop Bell’s supporters.
In his statement he likened the case of Bishop Bell, the former Bishop of Chichester, to that of Peter Ball, a convicted sex offender and former Bishop of Gloucester.
“I cannot with integrity rescind my statement,” he said yesterday in reference to his earlier claim that Bishop Bell had a “significant cloud… over his name” and that he had been accused of “great wickedness”.
The Archbishop added: “As in the case of Peter Ball, and others, it is often suggested that what is being alleged could not have been true, because the person writing knew the alleged abuser and is absolutely certain that it was impossible for them to have done what is alleged.
“As with Peter Ball turns out to be untrue, not through their own fault or deceit, but because abuse is often kept very secret.
“The experience of discovering feet of clay in more than one person I held in profound respect has been personally tragic.”
But Bishop Bell’s supporters reacted with fury and dismay to the Archbishop’s latest pronouncement, pointing out that the claim against him is uncorroborated and made by one woman – known only as Carol – decades after the alleged abuse.
Lord Carlile, who wrote an independent report commissioned by the Archbishop, concluded that Bishop Bell’s reputation was “wrongly and unnecessarily damaged by the Church”. The Church had paid his accuser £16,800 damages and issued an apology in 2015.
Last night, Richard Symonds, of the Bell Society, said the Archbishop should consider resigning, adding: “His stance is unforgivable.”
Martin Sewell, a retired child protection lawyer and a member of the General Synod who will demand an apology when it meets next month, said: “This makes me extraordinarily angry. This statement makes your heart sink.”
A well-placed source inside the Church said: “There is widespread belief that he [Welby] has not shown an appropriate Christian approach in this case. There is a head of steam in the Church of England that could end up in his resignation over this.”
Bishop Bell, who died aged 75 in 1958, was one of the towering figures of the Church of England in the 20th century and was revered for his role in rescuing Jews from Nazi Germany before the war.
The allegation of sexual abuse was first made by Carol in 1995, some 38 years after his death, and was brought to the attention of Archbishop Welby in 2013.
Prof Tony Maden, a psychiatrist who examined her, said “the delays in reporting in this case are exceptional” and added that “memory is not reliable over such long periods of time”. He said “false memory” could not be ruled out as an explanation for her claim in the absence of any corroboration.