‘Culture of silence and fear’ stopping bishops calling out abuse scandal

Members of the clergy are choosing not to call out senior Church of England leaders over the John Smyth abuse scandal because of “a culture of silence and fear”, a bishop has alleged.

In an interview on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Bishop of Newcastle Dr Helen-Ann Hartley said her fellow bishops may also be staying silent as they are thinking about their own career prospects, after the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Mr Welby announced his resignation this week after the independent Makin Review concluded that the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England, John Smyth, might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Ms Hartley had previously called for the archbishop to step down, saying his position had become “untenable” after the publication of the review.

There is a culture, I think, of silence and fear amongst the bishops, which is really unhealthy

She told the programme: “I think it’s a great disappointment to me that when I called for that publicly, I was indeed a lone voice.

“So I have no real explanation for that other than there is a culture, I think, of silence and fear amongst the bishops, which is really unhealthy.”

Other bishops may have stayed silent “because they see themselves as succeeding to be the new archbishop of Canterbury” and were “fearful of being reprimanded and rebuked”, Ms Hartley added.

She said she believed “anybody” who holds public office or a role in the church, who was named in the damning review as having failed in their response to abuse and the report of abuse, should also resign.

Over five decades, more than 100 boys and young men were abused physically, sexually and psychologically in the UK and Africa by Smyth, a lay reader who ran Christian summer camps.

The former barrister died aged 77 in Cape Town, South Africa, in August 2018, while under investigation by Hampshire Police.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Mr Welby said the Makin Review had “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence” regarding Smyth’s abuse.

The archbishop added that he was informed of the abuse in 2013, but was told at the time that police had already been notified – which later proved not to be the case.