Church of England says 10 clergy to be disciplined after abuse investigation

Nearly a dozen clergy will undergo disciplinary proceedings after an investigation detailed the failures of church leaders to expose sexual abuse within the church, according to a Tuesday statement from the Anglican Church. Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey was included on the list, along with former Bishop of Durham Paul Butler. Rev Andrew Cornes—a member of the selection panel choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury—was also tapped to undergo disciplinary proceedings, according to reporting by the BBC.

The list came after the church’s National Safeguarding Team independently examined whether the clergy mentioned in the Makin Review should be disciplined. The church published findings from independent investigators in November that confirmed a long-term conspiracy of silence about abuses by a former church lawyer.

What about the other people listed in the report? Although additional active clergy were criticized in the report, the reviewers did not find enough evidence to trigger disciplinary proceedings, according to the release. Imposing punishment won’t undo the harm victims suffered, but does show how seriously the church is treating the review’s findings and recommendations, said the Church of England’s national director of safeguarding, Alexander Kubeyinje.

The discipline announcement came over a month after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby formally stepped down because of the report’s findings. Welby claimed responsibility for the trauma and abuse in his November resignation statement, saying that when he was first informed of the abuse, he believed that the police had also been informed and a resolution would be found.

What kind of disciplinary proceedings will clergy face? The national safeguarding team will pursue punishment for the 10 leaders under the Clergy Discipline Measure. Only serious accusations of misconduct are handled under this provision, according to the church. The measure created the Clergy Discipline Commission and other panels and tribunals that carry out the measure’s protocol for the conviction, punishment, or acquittal of church leaders.

The safeguarding team must get permission from the leader of the discipline commission’s chairman because all 10 cases are considered “out of time,” meaning that they’re older than cases typically brought before the commission. A person’s church rank determines how either the Vicar-General’s court or other disciplinary panels will examine the complaint. Depending on the findings of the court or tribunal, a person may receive a list of punishments ranging from rebuke to permanent removal from office.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the Archbishop of York’s proposed safeguards to protect against future power abuses.