Soul searching needed on safeguarding from an out-of-touch Church leadership

Churches and faith in general play a hugely significant role in the lives of many people up and down the country. It helps guide them towards making good decisions across all walks of life. Even those of no faith are welcomed in and provided shelter and moral guidance, should they wish to seek it.

That is precisely why the Church of England needs to reflect on how it finds itself at the centre of a crisis around safeguarding failings.

What is causing parishioners particular anguish is the obvious disconnect with the Church leadership. This is perfectly illustrated by Robert Beaumont, churchwarden of Minskip St John’s Church, near Boroughbridge. He writes in today’s newspaper that “as the churchwarden of a little church struggling to survive” he is “consistently amazed and incensed at the C of E’s lack of interest in its parishes, which, surely, are its lifeblood”.

The John Smyth scandal has left many feeling disillusioned. The reality is that the leadership has been completely tone-deaf when it comes to safeguarding issues.

The best course for action is to make safeguarding independent of the Church and for the process of handling complaints to be made transparent.

It is also time to ask whether the leadership has become pale, male and stale given female bishops have been left discontent at the way the safeguarding crisis has been handled.

Religion can be a force for good and the crisis at the top should not detract from the efforts of churches at a grassroots level. But Church leaders need to seriously reconsider its current approach, for what future is there for a church in which people have no faith?