Independent Report into the Past Cases Review
The independent report into the Church of England's handling of its 2007-2009 Past Cases Review (PCR) was published on Friday 22 June.
Conducted by Sir Roger Singleton, its purpose was to review the adequacy of the Past Cases Review which was undertaken by the Church of England in 2007-09. This followed evidence that the Church had failed to act appropriately in cases of child sexual abuse by clergy and church officers. More than 40,000 clergy files dating back over 30 years were reviewed across the then 44 dioceses.
You can read more about the Review here
Statement by the Bishop of Rochester
As part of Sir Roger Singleton’s investigation, the Diocese of Rochester has been identified as one of several diocese that should repeat its Past Cases Review.
In response, the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev James Langstaff has issued the following statement:
“We are very grateful to Sir Roger Singleton and his team for their work on the Independent Review and take particular note of the recommendations made which relate to the Past Case Reviews undertaken in this Diocese in 2007-2009.
"We very much regret that this review did not meet the standard expected. While we have undertaken further reviews since then, we accept that we must repeat that exercise and we welcome this opportunity to learn from previous shortcomings.
"We look forward to receiving further guidance which will ensure that this work is carried out in a robust, independent and appropriate manner, in line with current standards and expectations.
“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to those who have suffered at any time because of abuse they experienced within our Diocese. I would like to assure survivors, as well as everyone with our parishes, projects, local communities and external partnerships that we take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously, and have in recent years significantly increased the resources committed to this."
The Venerable Julie Conalty, Archdeacon of Tonbridge, who leads on Safeguarding for the Diocese of Rochester said:
“We are fully committed to ensuring that our churches are welcoming and safe places for all who work, worship and spend time in them, including the many children, young people and vulnerable adults that we are privileged to engage with on a daily basis. I would like to thank all those within the Diocese who support us with this important work.”
“If anyone has a current or previous concern that they feel has not been dealt with appropriately, or that they have not felt able to report, I would encourage them to contact us, and your concerns will be taken seriously.”
Contact the safeguarding team
The safeguarding team for the Diocese of Rochester can be contacted on: 01634 560000 or out of hours on 07787445032. You can also email: greg.barry@rochester.anglican.org