CHURCH authorities are failing to take seriously the physical and emotional abuse suffered by divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, respondents to a latest survey suggest.
The research by Broken Rites, a support group for divorced and separated clergy spouses and partners, identifies abuse as a think about the breakdown of 83 per cent of respondents’ marriages. Only 13 per cent believed that the authorities took this abuse seriously. It was suggested that the Church was more focused on sexual abuse.
“How will we report the abuse and be believed when the perpetrator is seen as ‘a superb and caring person’ within the eyes of parishioners and the general public?” one respondent asked.
Housing and financial security were shown to be the best practical challenges facing respondents, closely followed by mental-health and legal challenges. The survey covered a period from 21 March to 31 May, and all responses were anonymous. It was emailed to 168 members, with 77 responses.
The findings showed an absence of recommendation “at the purpose of desperate need”. Thirty-seven respondents had not been in a position to access any advice and data about finance and pensions across the time of their marriage breakdown, and 21 said “not enough”. Inadequate institutional support from church bodies had led individuals to hunt help elsewhere, the research found; many relied on solicitors for financial advice.
The emotional state of people during breakdown “often hinders their ability to hunt and process advice, resulting in missed opportunities for higher financial outcomes,” the report says. A typical theme was the complexity of monetary settlements and shared pensions. Some said that they felt cheated by the Church’s handling of pension valuations, often believing the treatment to be “unfair”.
Some had received support from clergy organisations, including Bishop’s Visitors, but Broken Rites found the standard and effectiveness of such support to differ significantly.
“Being believed and being listened to is what it comes right down to,” the chair of Broken Rites, Sue Bamber, said. “Dioceses take care of their very own [clergy], understandably — the voice of the opposite party involved is just not given much weight. At the tip of the day, the sensation is that they should protect the institution.”
