The Church of England has committed £150m to providing redress to survivors of Church-related abuse.
The comprehensive redress scheme was approved by its parliamentary body, the General Synod, after 4 years of debate and discussion, and might be operative once parliamentary approval and royal assent are given.
Reflecting on this landmark decision, one among the survivors, Phil Johnson, who has been a member of the Redress Project Board, said, “It is the culmination of years of exertions and when it opens, it would make an enormous difference within the lives of individuals. For the Church, it’s a possibility to rectify a few of the harm that’s been done to victims and survivors.”
The redress scheme will take into accounts, not only the abuse done by a person perpetrator but in addition the impact on someone of church officers who did not imagine, or act on information provided to them in regards to the abuse.
The Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mounstephen, Chair of the Redress Project Board explained, “Once operational, this independently run, survivor-focused scheme might be an important response to a transparent need.
“It will make an actual difference to people’s lives, offering not only financial redress but heartfelt apology, acknowledgment, and care, treating survivors with the fairness, compassion, and dignity they deserve.”
While this marks a very important step within the Church of England’s relationship with survivors of abuse, there continues to be much to do.
Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester and former lead bishop for safeguarding, under whose leadership this scheme was initiated, had a stark warning for the Church: “The risk is that we could find yourself pondering we are able to so order the lifetime of the Church that it [abuse] couldn’t occur, and the fact is that is rarely the case.
“Sin happens, abuse happens, and we do have to have a healthy and realistic theology of human sinfulness which keeps us continually on our guard.”
As a survivor of childhood trauma, Gibbs advised that individuals and institutions are naturally defensive and that independent reflection on the scheme might be needed in future “to reflect back to us the way it is being experienced”.
A public website will open from 18 July enabling prospective applicants to register their interest and receive advance notification of the scheme’s official opening date once it is understood.
