The Church of England failed to protect children and young people from sexual predators within their ranks, according to an inquiry report published today.
From the 1940s to 2018, 390 people who were clergy or in positions of trust associated with the Church have been convicted of sexual offences against children, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said.
"Over many decades, the Church of England failed to protect children and young people from sexual abusers, instead facilitating a culture where perpetrators could hide and victims faced barriers to disclosure that many could not overcome," Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the inquiry, said.
The Church of England expressed shame and apologised after the inquiry findings were published.
"The report makes shocking reading and while apologies will never take away the effects of abuse on victims and survivors, we today want to express our shame about the events that have made those apologies necessary," said the Bishop of Huddersfield, Jonathan Gibbs.
"The whole Church must learn lessons from this Inquiry," Bishop Gibbs said.
"Our main focus in response must be recognising the distress caused to victims and survivors by the Church's failures in safeguarding."
