Senior bishop opens up about Church scandal that made archbishop step down
Winchesterʼs top priest discusses shocking report about decades-long abuse in church-related settings. Recent events led to historic resignation of Church of Englandʼs leader and raised questions about safety
In a thought-provoking week Philip Mounstephen‚ Winchesterʼs Bishop faced major shake-ups in the Church of England. The just-released Makin Report exposed wide-spread abuse by John Smyth a well-known barrister who hurt many young people from 1970s till early-2010s
The report shows how Smyth used his church position to abuse over 115 young men and boys: he made them undress gave them harsh beatings and caused long-term trauma. His victims got around 14000 hits overall (and needed special care from Smyths wife to deal with injuries)
I found myself in tears at the end when he talked about Jesus in very personal terms
The 65-year old Mounstephen explains his connection to Justin Welby who stepped down as Archbishop after the report came out. Both are from churchʼs conservative wing but Mounstephen says he wasnt part of the inner circle where Smyth operated; “That whole world of camps was fairly enclosed self-referential and not a world that I ever belonged to“
The bishops past shows different roots than many church leaders:
- Parents were nurse and bank worker
- Went to state schools first
- Got private education only through dads work help
- Started as English teacher
- Worked in different countries
Today Mounstephen leads efforts to fix church problems: “We need to move forward in safety in continuing to ensure relentlessly that the Church in its local manifestations is as safe as it can be.“ He runs a £150 million program to help abuse victims but faces questions about who can get help
The bishop stays hopeful despite current troubles: “The proper Christian word is hopeful and I am hopeful; I believe that Jesus Christ is committed to his Church in this country What form it takes is a matter for him and not me“
