The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has said the denomination goes through “an ecclesiastical earthquake” and urged believers to look to God and Scripture as they weather a safeguarding crisis.
Last November the police said that they were launching a criminal investigation resulting from safeguarding concerns throughout the Church. Last week the police confirmed that that they had received 101 referrals of their investigation, including reports from victims.
The PCI has said that it’s cooperating fully with the police investigation.
The Rt Rev Dr Richard Murray, Moderator of the PCI, gave a sermon at a Special General Assembly in regards to the scandal and its impact on the Church.
Referring to Psalm 46, Murray said, “Clearly the psalmist was living through times of cataclysmic change and it’s good to remind ourselves that such times have at all times been faced by God’s people, to a greater or lesser extent. We in PCI reside through such a time when there’s been an ecclesiastical earthquake and when safeguarding has (quite rightly) been moved centre stage.”
He said that the PCI was “in trouble” because “of those hurt, harmed, traumatised by our failings”.
Murray said, “We are a really imperfect church and on this side of eternity we’ll at all times be a really imperfect church because we’re made up of very imperfect people – sinners saved by grace.”
He concluded, “Brothers and sisters, the Refuge is the Lord, the River of God continues to be flowing. Let’s Rest in God and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God if we’re going to survive this crisis and emerge refined, humbler, holier.”
During the assembly the Church received a report which, amongst other points, assessed the present state of safeguarding throughout the PCI.
An element of the report called for a rise in safeguarding resourcing and staffing.
“It has change into apparent that it’s untenable for the function of Safeguarding to be included throughout the Council for Social Witness as each Care Services and Safeguarding are separate specialist areas. It is evident that Safeguarding has been under-resourced, and now needs increased resources and staff members who work exclusively in that area,” the report said.
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