Published on this site August 31st by Jill Powell

A "profoundly negative culture" within the Diocese of Chichester led to two decades of child protection failures, a report has concluded. The inquiry by the Archbishop of Canterbury's office said "fresh and disturbing" aspects of the way abuse claims were handled keep surfacing.

Lambeth Palace has said it will now oversee clergy appointments and child protection matters in Sussex. Three local priests have been charged this year with child sex offences.

The report states:

We emphasise that policies are only as good as the practice that they promote. There must, therefore, be a one hundred per cent compliance throughout the diocese with its safeguarding policy. Such compliance requires both leadership and training.

In responding to the interim report, Archbishop Rowan Williams has made the following statement:

“I am very grateful to those who have been conducting the Visitation in the Diocese of Chichester and to all who have co-operated with this process – not least those survivors of abuse who have shared their experience. The abiding hurt and damage done to them is something that none of us in the Church can ignore, and I am deeply sorry that they should have been let down by those they ought to have been able to trust.