Survivors call for trust and integrity

The Bishop of Dorchester thanked survivors of abuse and safeguarding campaigners for making him feel “uncomfortable, frustrated, angry and ashamed” during a public meeting in Oxford last week. 

The Rt Revd Gavin Collins’  remarks came at the end of an event where survivors and safeguarding advocates discussed how the Church can face difficult truths, support survivors’ recovery, and begin the long process of rebuilding trust and integrity.

Bishop Gavin, who is also Acting Bishop of Oxford, told the meeting: “It feels wrong for a bishop to have the final word, but I want to say thank you to the panel for their courage. 

“The messages and personal testimonies from tonight were extremely powerful. It is clear that we can do much better – and we must.” 

Held at the University Church, Wednesday evening’s event was attended by around 100 people and featured a panel of speakers with lived experience of church-related abuse and expertise in supporting survivors. 

The meeting was organised by the University Church and Diocese of Oxford, with support from the Oxford Survivor Group.  

Discussion centred on the need for the Church of England at a national level to confront difficult truths and better support survivors in their recovery. 

The meeting heard personal testimonies from three members of the Oxford Survivor Group, which brings a survivor perspective to safeguarding within the diocese and ensures survivor voices shape the development of survivor support and engagement.

It also heard from journalist and safeguarding campaigner Andrew Graystone, the Revd Dr Beth Keith, who has advised the Church of England on redress for abuse survivors, and theologian and General Synod member Prof Helen King. 

One panellist from the Oxford Survivor Group told the meeting: “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.” 

As well as the Bishop of Dorchester, the event was attended by the Bishop of Reading and the Bishop of Buckingham. 

The Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd 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.” 

The Diocese of Oxford’s Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Dr Louise Whitehead, thanked members of the Oxford Survivor Group for sharing their experiences, adding: “It is humbling that people who have experienced abuse within the Church are working with us to help us to do better.”