Cardinal resists resignation calls after putting reputation of church over duty to child sexual abuse victims

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales said he will not resign over a damning report into child sex abuse allegations.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster Diocese, said he recently offered his resignation to the Pope on account of his age and nothing else, but that he was told to stay in post.

It comes as the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into the Catholic Church, published on Tuesday, found Cardinal Nichols “seemingly put the reputation of the church” above his duty to sex assault victims.

It added that he had demonstrated “no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change”.

The report findings were met with calls for Cardinal Nichols to resign – something he says he will refuse to do.

He told the PA news agency: “I was 75 very recently. A few weeks ago, as according to the law of the Church, I sent my resignation into Pope Francis and I have received a very unequivocal reply, and that is that he tells me to stay in office here.

“So that is what I will do, that is where my orders come from. I’m staying.”

Asked if he was the right person to lead the Catholic Church in England and Wales, despite the report’s findings, Cardinal Nichols said: “I do what I’m told. The Holy Father put me here and he tells me to stay here – that’s enough for me.”

The report found that the Catholic Church repeatedly failed to support victims and survivors, while taking positive action to protect alleged perpetrators, including moving them to different parishes.

It highlighted the case of Father James Robinson, a serial paedophile, who was moved to another parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham after complaints were first made in the 1980s. He was later jailed for 21 years.

The report also identified how senior leaders were resistant to external oversight and have only partially implemented the recommendations of previous reviews.

Focusing on Cardinal Nichols, the report said: “In the cases of (two complainants), Cardinal Nichols demonstrated a lack of understanding of the impact of their abuse and experiences and seemingly put the reputation of the church first.”

The report also found Cardinal Nichols demonstrated “no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change”.

It added: “The responses of church leaders over time were marked by delay in implementing change as well as reluctance to acknowledge responsibility, to hold individuals to account or to make sincere apologies.

“They conveyed on occasions a grudging and unsympathetic attitude to victims.

“Failure in some of these areas contributed to more children experiencing actual abuse and many others being exposed to the risk of sexual abuse.”

The report makes a number of recommendations, including mandatory safeguarding training for all staff and volunteers, and for the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service to be externally audited.

It said the subject of mandatory reporting – the legal duty to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities, something Catholic Church leaders have opposed due to the “sacred nature” of disclosure made during confession – will form part of the inquiry’s final, overarching report into abuse allegations across society.

One survivor who gave evidence before the inquiry said of the report: “The head of a church should have the greatest morals of all, but instead they were sending paedophiles to other areas of the country – and America – in an attempt to cover the abuse up. How ‘Christian’ is that?

“It was bad enough being abused in the first place but then to have it dismissed and covered up just takes even more of a toll on you.”

Richard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon representing survivors at the inquiry, said: “This is an absolutely damning report.

“Cardinal Nichols needs to go right away – in any other walk of life he would be gone immediately.

“This is a church that cannot be trusted to protect children.”

The inquiry also criticised the Holy See – the Pope and the offices of the Catholic Church based in Rome – for a lack of cooperation during the investigation.

The findings chime with a separate report by the IICSA last month, which said the Anglican Church failed to protect vulnerable children from sexual predators for decades, instead prioritising its own reputation.

The remaining avenues of the inquiry are due to hear evidence later this year, before a final report of overarching findings from all 15 sections of the investigation is laid before Parliament in 2022.

Criticism over pope’s lack of cooperation with Catholic Church abuse inquiry

The pope and his office has been criticised for failing to fully cooperate with an investigation into historical abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said “very little information” was provided by the pope or his advisers, despite repeated requests to assist.

The latest strand of the inquiry found child sexual abuse was “swept under the carpet”, and that church leaders “conveyed on occasions a grudging and unsympathetic attitude to victims”.

Publishing its findings on Tuesday, the inquiry said the Holy See, the pope and the offices of the Catholic Church based in Rome, did “little more than confirm the bishops’ authority within their own dioceses and provide documents already within the public domain”.

It said: “As recently as May 2019, the pope made his position on child sexual abuse clear – there needed to be action not just words.

“This pronouncement stands in direct contrast to the limited information the Holy See provided to the inquiry.

“In responding in this way, the Holy See’s stance was contrary to the spirit of its public statements and it missed the opportunity to demonstrate its engagement and leadership on the issue of child sexual abuse.”

It added: “The Holy See’s limited response on this matter manifestly did not demonstrate a commitment to taking action.

“Their lack of cooperation passes understanding.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most senior Catholic leader in England and Wales, who was accused of putting the reputation of the church above his duty to sex assault victims, told the PA news agency he offered to resign upon reaching his 75th birthday recently, but that the offer was declined by the pope.

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