An Archbishop Says Sorry

Dear Pastors

An Archbishop Says Sorry

Last Sunday in the Sunday Star Times there was a difficult to read story of a women who had many years ago been abused by Anglican clergy and the ensuing apology from Archbishop Phillip Richardson last year. It’s a superb article that I would encourage all pastors, ministers, vicars, priests and church leadership teams to read.

It provides for the Christian Church and perhaps even the State an outstanding example of:-

• Taking an historic abuse victim’s story seriously and believing her.
• Thinking deeply as to what makes an apology meaningful especially when the perpetrators of the abuse are not willing or not able to apologise or have since died.
• Effecting the apology in a manner that considers the survivor of abuse first and foremost.
• Determining a system for redress.
• Improving internal protocols and procedures that ensure abuse never happens again. And I mean all kinds of abuse – spiritual, psychological, sexual and physical.

This is a sad story yet a remarkable story of a survivor of multiple episodes of heinous abuse (not all of which were at the hands of the church). It is also a story of a Bishop who is willing to face the truth as hard and as sad and as bad as it was and do the right thing……to sincerely and genuinely say sorry. And the result was good. In Amanda’s own words (not her real name), “He helped me let go of a lot of what happened, because I just saw a man who really wanted to take that burden off me. At first I was worried that I was opening myself up to more hurt. But it’s been really healing knowing that someone wanted to listen and work with me and see that I was OK.”

Here’s the thing. Why do we not see and hear more of this? Why does the Christian Church so often ‘duck for cover’, deny, defend and deflect in the same way non-Christian organisations so often do? How come in some cases there is even talk these days about ‘protecting the brand’? Why do we not model instead, truth, humility and reconciliation?

I write this with a very heavy heart. I am deeply distressed at how poor we are at this. Over the last 2-3 years alone we have seen churches get it so wrong. Next year, as this article points out, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report will be published and made available to the public and it is going to be hard to read……very hard if the interim report is anything to go by.

How we respond to allegations of abuse is ever so important. How we respond when the allegations are proven to be true is even more crucial. It provides an opportunity for Christian leaders to demonstrate to its own members and to the watching world that we really care, that the testimonies of abuse survivors carry weight, and that we are prompt in acknowledging the harm caused and do what it takes to put things right. As Bible believing Christians we are called upon to model truth, humility and reconciliation?

And just before I go it is worth noting that this article is a great example of mainstream media writing a story that put the Christian church in a good light.

Blessings
Alan