Church of England Abuse Allegations Deemed “Tip of the Iceberg” by Campaigner

A past member of the Archbishops’ Council has stated that the Church of England’s inaction regarding claims concerning the extensive child abuser John Smyth represents the “tip of the iceberg”. Jayne Ozanne, a notable LGBT advocate originating from Guernsey, declared that the departure of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, needed to be a “watershed moment”. Mr. Welby submitted his resignation on Tuesday, following a critical report detailing abuse committed by Smyth at church camps. Ms. Ozanne commented: “This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are many other abusers that have been covered up for the good of the church.” A document outlining Smyth’s “horrific” assaults on adolescent boys was provided to certain church leaders in 1982. However, those who received the report “participated in an active cover-up” to suppress its conclusions, including that criminal acts had occurred, according to the Makin review. Ms. Ozanne stepped down from the Church of England’s General Synod in 2023, a choice stemming from the church “not prioritising people at risk” and a failure to “break ranks and speak out when abuse is happening”. She stated: “There are deep issues to do with structure, accountability, not just on safeguarding, but on holding bishops and archbishops to account.” “We must look afresh at how we empower and allow leaders to speak out when they disagree rather than muzzling them. “When you just work as a pack and go silent, that silence is deafening, particularly for survivors.” Anglican officials in the Channel Islands similarly urged reform within the church. The Dean of Jersey, the Very Reverend Mike Keirle, asserted that the church needs to heed the voices of survivors. He remarked: “The abuse perpetrated by John Smyth makes for appalling reading and has caused untold pain and suffering to the victims and survivors.” “It also clearly expounds the utterly inadequate and, at times, inexcusable response to those victims and survivors by the Church of England since the abuse came to light, and the further enabling of the perpetrator to continue the violence and exploitation in another country.” The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Reverend Tim Barker, commented that Mr. Welby’s departure ought to initiate more profound change. “The response of the Church of England towards survivors and victims, as highlighted in forensic and graphic detail by the review, has been inadequate and, in some aspects, appalling.” “We must refocus our attention on the experience and the needs of victims and survivors.” Connect with BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Connect with BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Submit your story concepts to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.