By Muvija M
LONDON (Reuters) -Seven Church of England priests, including a former senior bishop, will face disciplinary proceedings over safeguarding failures in the first such move since Archbishop Justin Welby was forced to stand down last year over a child abuse scandal.
Former Archbishop George Carey, who was in February named in a list of 10 historic cases that would be considered by an independent judicial process, would not face any further action, the Church also said in an update published on Thursday.
The Church of England – central to 85 million Anglicans worldwide – has been in crisis over safeguarding the vulnerable since a November report said ex-leader Welby had taken insufficient action to stop a prolific abuser.
In February it identified 10 cases that should be independently re-examined because they had happened too long ago to be considered by the Church’s usual processes.
Former Bishop of Durham Paul Butler – who held one of the most senior bishoprics in the Church from 2014 to 2024 – is among those facing disciplinary proceedings. That process could result in penalties such as a permanent ban from ministry.
Butler was responsible for safeguarding oversight in 16,000 Anglican churches in the country from 2010-2016.
The proceedings against him and others form the next stage of the Church’s efforts to restore trust following November’s review. Welby, who stepped down within a month of the review’s publication, is not facing disciplinary procedures.
While the Church has repeated its commitment to taking seriously its response to the review, its governing body stopped short of backing a fully independent safeguarding model to handle complaints in February.
(Reporting by Muvija M; editing by William James)
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