In her inaugural address to the General Synod as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally expressed her determination to address past shortcomings in the Church of England’s safeguarding practices. Her remarks, made in London this week, underscored a commitment to enhancing the Church’s safeguarding measures.
Recalling previous failures, she emphasized the necessity of focusing on victims’ experiences, stating that the Church had “fallen tragically short” in the past. She assured Synod members of her resolve to handle safeguarding with “seriousness and focussed direction.”
Highlighting a trauma-informed approach, Dame Sarah stressed the importance of placing victims and survivors at the center of safeguarding efforts. “This approach must be trauma-informed, put victims and survivors at the heart of all we do and be committed to proper independence,” she said.
She continued, “We must be wholly committed to listening to victims and survivors, to independent scrutiny of our safeguarding practices, and to delivering timely and robust trauma-informed processes.
“We must be willing, always, for light to be shone on our actions and our decisions. We can only begin to rebuild trust and confidence through openness and integrity.”
The context for her address includes the downfall of her predecessor, Justin Welby, who faced criticism after the Makin Review. The review partly attributed Church failures in dealing with the abuse committed by John Smyth, a former Christian camp leader, to Welby. The review highlighted his role in failing to ensure the abuse was reported to the authorities.
Dame Sarah has faced her scrutiny over her past handling of an abuse case during her tenure as Bishop of London. However, Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, decided last month that no further action would be taken against her.
Further discussions on safeguarding are scheduled for the Synod’s agenda on Wednesday.
Beyond safeguarding, Dame Sarah expressed her intention to lead with “calm, consistency and compassion” amid the challenges confronting the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. Her optimism was buoyed by reports of increasing church attendance.
She noted, “There is a visible sign of hope in the anecdotal and statistical evidence that, over the last four years, people have been returning to church,” and added, “There are early indications of that rise in attendance and participation having continued last year.”
While advocating caution with these early figures, Dame Sarah pointed out the emerging trend of people seeking “welcome, friendship, community, meaning and purpose” in the Church, celebrating these developments as “green shoots of hope.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
