This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-33959446
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Roman Catholic Church in Scotland 'must apologise' for abuse | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A commission investigating abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland has called on it to make an "unmistakeable and unequivocal" public apology. | |
It said the church must "heal the hurt and address the anger" of victims. | |
The church asked Dr Andrew McLellan to lead a review of how it handles allegations of abuse, following a series of scandals. | |
It took evidence from victims in a bid to improve support services and protect vulnerable children and adults. | It took evidence from victims in a bid to improve support services and protect vulnerable children and adults. |
Dr McLellan, a former moderator of the Church of Scotland, was tasked with coming up with proposals aimed at making the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland "a safe place for all". | |
The 11 review commissioners, who include a senior police officer, a journalist and an MP, were tasked with assessing the quality of support available to survivors. | |
'Absolute priority' | |
It was not within the scope of the commission to investigate or adjudicate on current or historical allegations. | |
The commission made eight recommendations, including calling for support for survivors of abuse to be an "absolute priority". | |
It also said justice must be done for those who have been abused. | |
The report also recommended that the church's safeguarding policies and practices be completely rewritten and subject to external scrutiny. | |
It called for a consistent approach to dealing with allegations across Scotland and improved training for those in the church. | |
Mr McLellan said: "The Bishops' Conference of Scotland should make a public apology to all survivors of abuse within the church. | |
"An apology must be made in a way that is unmistakeable and unequivocal." | |
'Heal the hurt' | |
He added: "The Bishops have said from the outset that they will accept our recommendations. | |
"That means that three things will happen. | |
"First and most important a beginning will be made to heal the hurt and address the anger which so many survivors feel. | |
"Second, the Catholic Church in Scotland will begin to confront a dark part of its past and find some healing for itself. | |
"Third, a significant step will be taken in restoring public credibility for the Catholic Church." | |
His review was announced following a series of scandals. | His review was announced following a series of scandals. |
The Church faced allegations of abuse at the former Catholic boarding school at Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands. | The Church faced allegations of abuse at the former Catholic boarding school at Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands. |
The former leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, stepped down in February 2013 after admitting sexual misconduct. | The former leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, stepped down in February 2013 after admitting sexual misconduct. |
The church said it would make public annual audits of all allegations received by the church. | |
It has published details of allegations dating from 2006 to 2012 and then for 2013. | |
The church also said it would instigate a retrospective investigation of historic allegations, dating back to 1947 - with work continuing on that. | |
It said any allegations uncovered as part of this, which had not been acted upon, would be passed to police for them to investigate. |