A former safeguarding officer at one of Northern Ireland’s largest churches has said he was called a “satanist” after raising concerns about child protection issues.
Ambrose Doone resigned from Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast in 2024, saying he and others were undermined for highlighting safeguarding concerns.
An investigation into an alleged incident involving a senior leader later found there was “a culture of indifference towards safeguarding” at the church.
According to BBC News NI, during a church board meeting, the concerns were linked to claims that “Satan may have used” those raising complaints, while another trustee suggested criticism of leadership could be viewed as “rebellion”.
Speaking to the BBC, Doone and another former safeguarding officer, Stephen Spiers, said they felt “let down” by church leadership. Spiers said safeguarding concerns were not taken seriously, that he received no response to further allegations, and that a senior leader remained in post during the investigation.
Doone said safeguarding volunteers were called “Satanists”, “liars”, and “rebels”, and described a “false narrative” being spread about those raising concerns.
An independent investigation into an allegation of inappropriate behaviour involving a senior leader concluded that “an incident of inappropriate behaviour occurred against a young man”.
Church trustees said safeguarding improvements had been implemented or were in progress and rejected claims of failure, saying an independent report and legal advice found no need to stand a staff member down during the investigation.
The church said it takes safeguarding “very seriously” and that concerns were being used to “unsettle the church’s leadership and divide its congregation”.
