Archbishop Of Canterbury Calls For Transparency On Issue

The Church of England must be “absolutely transparent” on concerns regarding historical sex abuse, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury who also warned more cases are likely to arise in the coming months.

Speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, the Most Rev Justin Welby said there was an expectation that more abuse-related issues would come to the public’s attention through the course of the inquiry being held into institutional abuse.

He added that it would be key to “show justice to survivors of abuse” and to “keep saying how utterly devastated we are with the terrible things that were done in the past and how sorry we are”.

The Archbishop added that abuse claims have become something he deals with “every day”.

His comments come after Pope Francis was quoted by La Repubblica newspaper stating that data suggests around two per cent of clergy in the Catholic Church are paedophiles and the Church is determined to “confront it with the severity it demands”.

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Expert Opinion

The recent concerns raised regarding the scale and extent of historical abuse in many institutions has been truly shocking and while nothing can be done to right the wrongs of the past, it is positive to see the clear determination to ensure lessons can be learned to safeguard children in the future. <br/> <br/>"Our work helping victims of abuse to get access to support for the physical and psychological suffering they have endured means we have seen the misery that child abuse causes. <br/> <br/>"Too many people’s lives have been ruined by abuse and it is vital that steps are taken to see how standards can be improve to safeguard children and other vulnerable members of society from this most serious breach of trust." Tracey Storey - Partner