newsNew Archbishop of Canterbury must deal with another possible abuse case in scandal hit Church of England
Sarah Mullally – The first woman Bishop of London and soon to be the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury
On January 28 next year the Right Rev Dame Sarah Mullally will be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. But before she steps foot into her new London home at Lambeth Palace she faces problems that will remind her and her Anglican colleagues of of a scandal that haunts the corridors of the Church of England and which ended the career of her predecessor, Justin Welby.
by TREVOR GRUNDY
The new Archbishop of Canterbury has received an un-wanted pre-Christmas parcel.
Inside the box the gift is ticking.
Dame Sarah Mullally,63, has been accused of mishandling an abuse allegation by a complainant known only as ‘N’ against an un-identified vicar in the Church of England.
An official at Lambeth Palace told The Times that the complaint should have been assessed and dealt with in 2020. That did not happen because of “administrative errors,” as well as “incorrect assumptions about the individual’s wishes.”
A Lambeth Palace spokesperson added: “The provincial registrar has apologised to those involved and urgent arrangements are now being made for the complainant to be considered according to the relevant statutory process.”
Dame Sarah said that the complainant was let down by the Church of England.
She maintained that the accusation against the priest had been “fully dealt with” but a 2020 complaint from ‘N’ against her had not been properly dealt with.
What hadn’t been dealt with properly?
Apparently, the fact that Mullally contacted the priest charged with abuse.
Why did she do that instead of following C of E procedures?
Report by Andrew Billen of The Times about the sex predator, John Smyth.
The former NHS nurse who was ordained as priest in 2006 and appointed first woman Bishop of London in 2018, takes over as Archbishop of Canterbury from Justin Welby who last year was forced to resign because of the way he failed to deal with a wave of sexual abuse caused by a prominent member of the English upper-class establishment who was a prominent barrister and member of the C of E hierarchy.
Welby stepped down after a damaging report into the activities in England, Zimbabwe and South Africa of this sexual predator, John Smyth.
The fact that Mullally contacted the accused priest after the report was raised could be a serious breach of the Church of England’s disciplinary procedures.
The complaint will now with be assessed by the deputy provincial registrar for Canterbury who will then determine whether disciplinary action is required.
The verdict will be sent to Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York.
He will decide whether the complaint should be dismissed or if a formal response is required.
Canterbury Cathedral, Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion (Picture by Trevor Grundy)
Cottrell was one of the voting members of the body tasked with choosing Welby’s successor.
But in recent months Cottrell has faced call to step down over his handling of an abuse case.
Last week, Channel Four carried a two-part documentary led by Cathy Newman into the life of John Smyth.
Among those who spoke about this appalling predator (who is said to have died in South Africa after a heart attack in 2018 while under investigation) were people who knew him and who said that the Church hierarchy covered-up his crimes.
Others on the tv programme titled “See No Evil” said their lack of action was not to protect the Church but rather to protect themselves.
After Welby’s resignation, all the candidates for the top job in the Church of England promised that a new age would dawn.
Christian pals together . . .
. . . Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell
But Zimbabweans and South Africans say they are not going to lie down and let highly paid and very clever Church of England lawyers walk all over them
A Zimbabwean man is suing the Church of England over sadistic abuse he and his brother experienced at the hands of Smyth at a holiday camp in1993.
There they were subjected to forced nudity, beatings with table tennis bats, indecent exposure, groping and intrusive conversations about masturbation.
Jason and Rocky are being represented in the UK by the top legal firm Leigh Day.
Meantime, the clock won’t stop.
Only the stone deaf, or the certifiably stupid, fail to hear the ticks.