The Acting Bishop of Oxford has thanked victims of church-related abuse for making him feel “uncomfortable, frustrated, angry and ashamed” after a public discussion about safeguarding.
Rt Rev Gavin Collins, who is also the Bishop of Dorchester, took part in the event with around 100 survivors and safeguarding advocates at University Church in Oxford on Wednesday.
The group discussed how the Church of England can “face difficult truths, support survivors’ recovery, and begin the long process of rebuilding trust and integrity”, according to the Diocese of Oxford.
Thanking the panel for their courage, Bishop Gavin said: “The messages and personal testimonies from tonight were extremely powerful. It is clear that we can do much better – and we must.”
Sharing their testimonies were three members of the Oxford Survivor Group, which brings survivor perspectives to safeguarding in the diocese to ensure their voices inform support and engagement.
One said: “Trust is built on ability, benevolence, integrity and predictability. These encompass competence, compassion and doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it and so much more.
“I wonder if the church is brave enough in this, our generation, to be vulnerable, to seek to lay aside the fear that often plays a part in safeguarding interactions, to lament actively, to hope courageously and to desire resolutely, that it will journey side by side with all those who are able to shine a light on the next step. I sincerely hope so. I need to believe so.”
The event also heard from journalist and safeguarding campaigner Andrew Graystone, as well as Church advisor on safeguarding and theologian Rev Dr Beth Keith.
Bishop of Reading, Rt Rev Mary Gregory, said: It is quite difficult to find the words to adequately sum up the complexity of what we heard. Any brief quotation or soundbite just can’t do justice to the years of pain we bore witness to, or to the depth of anger at the Church’s failure to properly attend to survivors of abuse. Personally, I will take with me the challenge to make time to listen to survivors well, and to weigh fully the spiritual harm they have suffered because Christian leaders have abused them.”