Author: Robert Barr
Publication: The Associated Press
Date: April 17, 2001
London (AP) - All clergy, staff
and volunteers in the Roman Catholic Church should be subject to police
checks to stamp out sexual abuse of children, a report commissioned by
the church said Tuesday.
The church must also not hush up
allegations of abuse, added the report of a commission headed by Lord Nolan,
a former appeals judge.
"We believe that the Catholic Church
in England and Wales should become an example of best practice in the prevention
of child abuse and in responding to it," Nolan said.
Between 1995 and 1999, 21 of the
5,600 Catholic priests in England and Wales were convicted of offenses
against children, and two archbishops have been embroiled in controversies
about their handling of pedophile priests.
The report said the church should
set up a national child protection unit and that every parish should have
a designated child protection representative. It said bishops and religious
superiors should not overrule selections boards where there are questions
about the suitability of a candidate for ordination or appointment. Anyone
who refuses to consent to a records check should not be appointed, the
report said.
Any allegation of abuse should be
investigated swiftly, the report said, and the person making the allegation
should be encouraged to tell police, social services agencies and the child
protection officer appointed by the diocese or religious order.
"Our hope is that this report will
help to bring about a culture of vigilance where every single adult member
of the church consciously and proactively takes responsibility for creating
a safe environment for children and young people," the report said.
In a BBC television interview before
the report's release, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham said the
church has learned a great deal in recent decades.
"I think 20 years ago, it was just
a puzzle, it was such a shock and such a surprise," Nichols said. "It was
very much a hidden phenomenon and a hidden crime. But I think nowadays
these things are much more understood. We obviously have been on a steep
learning curve along with the rest of society."
The church in England and Wales
published its first report on child abuse in 1994, emphasizing that the
church should work closely with child protection teams, government authorities
and other professionals.
The church commissioned the Nolan
report last year.
The archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal
Cormac Murphy- O'Connor, was caught up in controversy last summer over
his decision to assign a priest to the Gatwick airport chapel despite concerns
about the priest's behavior.
The priest was subsequently convicted
in nine sex attacks, including one with a boy he met at the chapel, and
he served 42 months in prison.
The archbishop of Cardiff, John
Ward, was also accused of ignoring allegations against two priests. Ward,
who was recovering from an illness, was relieved of responsibility for
his archdiocese in December.
Murphy-O'Connor said the independent
report was "extremely constructive and helpful" and would be discussed
by all the bishops of England and Wales at their meeting next week.
The Church of England also has struggled
with the problem of pedophiles in positions of authority. Church of England
bishops issued guidelines in 1999 calling for all candidates to be checked
for criminal convictions, though it left bishops some discretion on whether
an individual should be disqualified for past offenses.
