I, together with Bishop Karen and Bishop Andrew, respect the decision of Archbishop Justin to step aside from his role as Archbishop of Canterbury and will continue to pray for him and his family. Archbishop Justin has taken personal and institutional responsibility to enable deeper change.
The Makin review has exposed horrific abuse and misuse of power over many years. Questions out of this report must be addressed by the church in a trauma-informed way, which places victims and survivors at the centre of it. In recent days the focus of debate has moved away from this, so I would ask us to refocus our attention back to the experience of victims and survivors and the lessons we must learn from doing so.
In this diocese we will continue to work to implement good safeguarding practices, supported by clergy and volunteers in our parishes and advised by our professional safeguarding team. We remain committed to engaging with victims and survivors of abuse.
I offer this prayer which sustains me daily.
Thanks be to you, our Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have given us,
for all the pains and difficulties you bear with us.
O merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
may we see you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day. Amen.
If you have felt affected by issues raised in the report you can speak to Safe Spaces, a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone impacted by church related abuse (safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk, 0300 303 1056).
The Rt Revd Stephen Lake
12 November 2024
