Statement of the Conference of Religious of England Wales on the publication of the IICSA report (November 2020)

The Conference of Religious (COR) would like to express profound sadness and sorrow to all those who are victims and survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy and members of Religious Congregations.

We thank IICSA for bringing to light the acute suffering that has been inflicted over many years and our failures in safeguarding including engagement with victims and survivors. We also thank the victims and survivors for their courage in coming forward. We are wholeheartedly committed to learning lessons from this inquiry and making every effort to embed a safeguarding culture at all levels of religious life.

As Christians we approach safeguarding with a determination to protect people from harm, especially when they are particularly vulnerable. We acknowledge that in the past the needs of the vulnerable have not been paramount. We undertake to remedy this through a new approach to safeguarding within the Church.

Statement on Safeguarding (Chapter 2017)

Safeguarding is integral to our Mission and Ministry.

As FMSJs we continue to commit to a culture of Safeguarding throughout the Congregation to create an atmosphere of safety and protection for all, especially for children and the vulnerable. Living out our Christian and Franciscan ideals and love for all people we pledge to:

• Study and implement the Safeguarding policies and procedures of the Congregation
• Keep updated all recruitment and employment practices, to be in compliance with these policies and procedures of our various countries.
• Educate all our co-workers to promote the best practice about these policies and procedures.
• Co-operate fully with the relevant Civil and church Law in each country.
• Show courage and determination in addressing the many challenges we face in seeking justice as we protect the rights of the most vulnerable among us – a core Gospel value in mission.

Privacy Statement

The Congregation is committed to the safeguarding of the privacy rights of individuals in relation to the obtaining, processing, retaining and protection of their personal data, in accordance with good practice and the law of the jurisdiction where they reside.