An independent investigation has concluded that Catholic officials in England and Wales have sought to protect the Church more than victims of sexual assault by priests, according to a report released Tuesday (November 10).
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In its 144-page report, the Independent Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in the Church (IICSA) accuses Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Church of England and Wales' highest dignitary, of failing to take his “
personal responsibilities
”.
In the cases of two victims, "
he showed a lack of understanding of the impact of their attacks (...) and visibly put the reputation of the Church first,
" said the report.
The Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster, admitted that he had not responded to certain emails from a complainant, described by officials in the diocese as “
needy
” and “
deeply manipulative
”.
The report denounced the "
laborious slowness of change
", noting that a code of conduct for priests had taken 13 years to be drafted.
“
The general impression created by these delays is that the Catholic Church still does not grant the degree of urgency and priority sufficient to implement the recommendations,
” he underlines.
The text recommends compulsory training for all staff and volunteers, as well as an external audit of the Church service responsible for these matters.
The IICSA has given the Church six months to respond to its recommendations.
The Church affirmed that it welcomed the report and apologized to the "
victims who were not listened to or supported in an appropriate manner
".
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About 7% of Britons are Roman Catholics, according to a 2018 study, in a country where Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the Anglican Church.
Between 1970 and 2015, 936 Catholic clergymen and volunteers were targeted for sexual assault charges, according to the report, which points out that the actual figure is likely "
much larger
."
Historically, Church institutions have "
actively sought to shelter and protect those accused of sexual assault on children,
" the report denounces.
Between 2016 and 2018, around 100 accusations of child sexual abuse were reported each year, according to the National Protection Commission.
In October, the IICSA had already published a damning report, criticizing the Church of England for protecting predatory priests rather than young victims of sexual assault.