benstevens/iStock/Thinkstock(LONDON) — The United Kingdom’s Methodist Church issued a “full and unreserved apology” on Thursday to survivors of abuse at the hands of some of its ministers and members.
That apology came as the church published the a report concerning an independent review of past safeguarding cases related to its members between 1950 and 2014. Reverend Dr. Martyn Atkins, secretary of the Methodist Conference, said on Thursday that he apologized on behalf of the church “for the failure of its current and earlier processes fully to protect children, young people and adults from physical and sexual abuse inflicted by some ministers in Full Connexion and members of the Methodist Church.”
Atkins called the history of abuse “a deep source of grief and shame to the Church.”
“We have not always listened properly to those abused or cared for them,” he added, “and this is deeply regrettable.” Atkins did, however, vow that the Methodist Conference will “do all in its power to improve its systems to protect children, young people and adults from abuse within the life of the Church and on Church premises, and to review them diligently on a regular basis.”
The report found 1,885 cases of abuse, with 476 involving ministers or church lay employees.
In total, more than 2,500 allegations of abuse were cataloged in the report, including 914 sexual assault claims.
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