Revd Jane Walker, Safeguarding Sunday 2024: Mark 13:1-8

When, on 19 September 2024, the Church of England website encouraged churches across the land to mark Safeguarding Sunday on 17 November, with the theme and focus for this year being “Let’s talk about it” I’m sure it cannot have been within the contemplation of those responsible for its output that the issue of Safeguarding would have thrown the Church into such catastrophic chaos this past week, culminating in the recent resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Preachers often note the uncanny timing of lectionary readings but this week’s co-incidence - or is it a God incident? - really is something else!

Since my ordination 10 years ago the various occasions on which my legal and church worlds have converged have often been the source of some satisfaction and validation for me, but as someone whose practice for the past 3 decades has been one specialising principally in child abuse cases, the collision of my two worlds over the past week has instead provoked feelings of sadness, anger and even, dare I say it, disgust.

Before ++Justin finally took the decision to step aside, I know I’m not the only one to have been questioning their place within the Church. Indeed, one priest friend had been in the process of typing his letter of resignation before the news of the Archbishop’s departure broke. I anticipate the wrestling will continue if other leaders don’t hold themselves accountable too.

For those of you who may have been away or subjected to some kind of news blackout over the past week and who may be wondering what all the fuss is about, I am talking about the Makin report, published on 8 November, an Independent Learning Lessons Review commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council, concerning the Church of England’s response to decades of abuse of children and young men carried out one John Smyth QC, a leading barrister who was, amongst other things, a lay reader and regular preacher in the Church of England.

The review makes a number of damning findings, including findings that the steps taken by the Church of England and other organisations and individuals were ineffective and failed to expose and prevent further abuse by Smyth and that Church officers and others who were made aware of the abuse in the form of a key report in 1982 participated in an active cover-up to prevent the report and its findings (which included that crimes had been committed) coming to light.  

The report concludes that further abuse could and should have been prevented, that John Smyth's victims were not sufficiently supported by the Church and that their views on escalating his abuse to the police and other authorities were not sought. There were individual failings by senior clergy, and clergy who subsequently became senior. Clergy which included former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, some Diocesan Bishops, Canons and Reverends and ++ Justin.

Now there are many news sites, podcasts and articles where you can read what purport to be summaries of the report’s main conclusions, but, having read all 253 pages of it, I have to say how obvious it is to me that many of those who were quick to venture their opinions on it, had not taken the care to read the report fully for themselves, instead relying upon the inadequate explanations or summaries of others.

It is a challenging and harrowing read and not for the faint hearted, but I would urge you to read it in full before reaching any conclusions about whether the safeguarding failures described are being taken seriously enough by the institution and Church of which we are all part and whether the Archbishop’s resignation was warranted.

Turning back to the Church of England website for a moment. The Safeguarding Sunday pages speak of the need for our churches to create spaces that are safer for everyone and to thank those working behind the scenes who make our churches safer for all. (I take this opportunity now to thank our Church Wardens and Safeguarding Officer Lynda in particular, for all they do in that regard here at Holy Innocents).

Churches are encouraged to talk about how communities can work together to prevent abuse and create a world where every child and adult can feel and be safe, making clear what we all should know, that protecting vulnerable people is at the heart of the Christian message. We find references about caring for those in distress as early as the book of Exodus and the exhortation to feed the hungry and clothe the naked in Matthew’s gospel springs readily to mind, as do the various passages throughout the Bible which urge care for widows and orphans. Of particular resonance for me today are the words of Proverbs 31 verses 8 and 9:

“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

This church, Holy Innocents, has a proud history of doing just that and I have been struck over the past week by how victims of John Smyth’s horrific abuse and even some of the fiercest critics of the Church of England hierarchy, have nonetheless made clear their appreciation of so much good work being done locally by churches at parish level.

Of course, safeguarding is not just about providing safe buildings or ensuring that people are physically safe. It encompasses emotional safety too and it’s important to remember that we can all experience periods of vulnerability. To pretend otherwise is to deceive ourselves. We all need to look out for each other. There will be many churchgoers, including members of this congregation, who will have been victims themselves of some form of abuse, including in some cases, abuse perpetrated by church members.

What perhaps is too often forgotten, and something all too evident from the Makin review, is that safeguarding is not something to be done to or about the vulnerable, but rather is a partnership with them. And that means listening carefully to them when they are brave enough to speak of their experiences and to their suggestions about how to make the Church a safer place. It means enabling them to be heard and noticed. It means speaking truth to power and that includes promoting a culture in which every one of us feels able to speak truth to power in our own contexts and to our Church leaders, both local and national.

Why is it, I ask, that only the Bishop of Newcastle, a woman, felt able to call publicly for the Archbishop’s resignation?
The Makin report makes reference to the “worrying pattern of deference” which enabled Smyth to perpetrate his abhorrent abuse for so long, as well as to Smyth’s misuse and misinterpretation of Scripture to apply a false theology which he used to exploit and groom those under his control. It was another female Bishop, the Bishop of Dover, who I heard speak plainly about the dangers of literal interpretation of the Scriptures earlier this week.

Child abuse thrives on secrecy and on silence, yet I regret to say, that as far as I can see, the Church of England, continues to be beset with both. It is, of course, not the only institution with such problems.

As the Makin report authors observe, ‘status related’ systems, cultures and practices can enable perpetrators to abuse their power.

The temptations of power in a traditionally patriarchal and deferential society cannot be overstated. Today’s Gospel reading also helpfully reminds us that there will be people who come and deceive us, pretending to be good when they are not.

In some of its concluding paragraphs the Makin report says it could be argued that the Church, as it is currently constituted, will not be able to fully guarantee that robust safeguarding policies can be in place and that that can only be assured by radically changing the structures and connectivity within the Church and creating a corporate organisational structure. I’m sure that may be anathema to many, but I fear that unless radical change takes place, then just as the magnificent Temple was destroyed, never to be rebuilt, the Church of England’s days may be numbered and like many others in the Church I would welcome the scrutiny of an independent body, free from direct influence from Church leaders, to provide external oversight of safeguarding practice. It seems to me that we should welcome greater transparency, not fear it.

In today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel Jesus reminds us of the transient nature of things. We must not be so arrogant or complacent as to assume that our Church, in its current form, can last forever and remember always to place Jesus at the centre of everything we do, knowing that God loves us, knows what is in our hearts and will bind up our wounds.
I leave you all to ponder, “What is God really saying to us in all this?”
 
Let us pray
Loving God
We pray that this Church may be a place of welcome, security and compassion.
Keep us watchful yet caring, trusting yet ready to question, that all who worship here may do so in safety and in the knowledge of your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen