Bishop Paul Mason and Sister Una Coogan CJ explain how robust safeguarding is vitally important to protect all who come into contact with the Church.
The Catholic Church in England and Wales takes a unified and collaborative approach to Safeguarding. Religious Life Groups, sometimes called religious communities or religious orders, work in partnership with Catholic Bishops and dioceses to respond in the most effective and robust way possible.
Bishop Paul Mason, the Lead Bishop for Safeguarding for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, alongside Sister Una Coogan CJ, the Lead Religious for Safeguarding for the Conference of Religious, explain how vitally important this work is to protect all who come into contact with the Church:
“Safeguarding is of vital importance to the Catholic Church in England and Wales and lies at the heart of our mission. Abuse has no place in the Church or wider society, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to it.
“The Church is committed to listening, with humility, to the voices of victims and survivors as their experiences will always inform our safeguarding work. We are open to any learning that will refine and improve our practices to protect all.
“We again offer an unreserved apology to those who have been hurt by abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales and reiterate the open invitation from the bishops to meet with and listen to victims and survivors.
“It is the policy of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person is living or deceased. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 999.
“The Church is committed to continual review and development, assisted by the independent auditing work of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, so that all our communities are places of safety and sanctuary for all.”
Bishop Paul Mason
Lead Bishop for Safeguarding
Bishop of the Forces
Sister Una Coogan CJ
Lead Religious for Safeguarding
Conference of Religious
Delivering wide-ranging reforms to safeguarding structures and processes.
'Listening with Love' is a resource inviting people to reflect on the impact of abuse on individuals and the Church.
