(London Times Front Page) Roman Catholic Church is told to give up control of schools

The Roman Catholic Church should give up control of schools if it wants to ensure that pupils will be protected from paedophile priests, an investigation into one of Britain’s worst clerical abuse scandals has concluded.

A report into decades of child abuse at Ealing Abbey made clear that there were nationwide consequences for the Church, Catholic education and, in particular, two of the country’s most famous independent schools, Downside and Ampleforth.

The inquiry, prompted by revelations in The Times, said the fact that St Benedict’s school in West London was under the total control of the Benedictine monks at Ealing was a major cause of the failure to detect, investigate and stop the sexual and physical abuse of pupils.

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Posted in * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, * Religion News & Commentary, Children, Education, England / UK, Other Churches, Religion & Culture, Roman Catholic, Teens / Youth

10 comments on “(London Times Front Page) Roman Catholic Church is told to give up control of schools

  1. Formerly Marion R. says:

    “The Roman Catholic Church should give up control of schools if it wants to ensure that pupils will be protected from paedophile priests.”

    Of course, the goal is not to protect pupils from [i]paedophile priests[/i]. The goal is to protect them from [i]paedophiles[/i].

    Otherwise the solution would be as simple as putting them in the care of the nearest state university football program.

  2. rugbyplayingpriest says:

    And who will then protect them from the culture of death?

  3. Paula Loughlin says:

    The goal is not protection from pedophiles. The goal is to marginilzie and demonize the Catholic Church mostly because of her opposition to the amoral agenda supported by the elites in society.

    If the abuse committed was not in fact true pedophilia but the abuse of adolescent boys by adult males I am quite sure it is not about protecting youth.

    I guarantee you that in Britain within 10 years adult males sexually attracted to post pubescent males will be considered a protected class and acceptance of their rights will be a given for liberals of religion and politics. Acceptance of true pedophilia will not be too far after that.

    The reason I say that is that I believe that there will be an increasing demand by homosexuals that we accept them on terms of their various sexual relationships and not on the acceptance of relationships modeled after a heterosexual, monogamous relationship of two adults.

    I have not read the article but since this was a Benedictine school would it have even come under the authority of the local Bishop?

    I no way do I excuse or not fully condemn the actions of abusers. My statement is only to cast doubt on the motives of those who claim shutting down the schools is proposed as a means of protecting young people from sexual abuse.

  4. Paula Loughlin says:

    I found this article but it only relates to the Benedictine School and does not mention that the Church should give up control of all Catholic schools.
    http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/London-abbey-to-lose-control-of-school-after-abuse-2259817.php

  5. Jim the Puritan says:

    This is referring to data for the United States, not the UK, but there are U.S. studies that show that sexual abuse of minors in public schools is much higher than has occurred in the Catholic Church. Same for juvenile detention facilities.

  6. Martin Reynolds says:

    As I understand it, this report was commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church themselves.

  7. rugbyplayingpriest says:

    Compare the tone of the conclusion of the report below to that of the article. The press are vile sometimes. None of the praise is shown at all:

    I am grateful for the information and co-operation I have been given for the purposes of my Inquiry. Nobody has obstructed me, and most of my interlocutors have striven to provide assistance.

    84. I believe that St Benedict’s School, Ealing, is an excellent place for boys and girls to be educated in safety today and for the future. No school is perfect, and ‘never’ is a dangerous word and a hostage to fortune. However, if those responsible for the School adopt the advice offered in this Report, and advice from the agencies referred to above, I consider that St Benedict students will be as well safeguarded as anywhere else in the country, without in any way losing the Benedictine connection and ethos.

    85. I believe that all recommendations in this report, especially the crucial advice about governance, can be implemented by the 1st September 2012 at the latest.

  8. Charles52 says:

    The report was actually commissioned by the abbey that runs the school.

    Re #7, the data is here:

    http://tinyurl.com/7mm7crv