In the last 25 years, there have been a number of investigations and reviews into the Catholic Church’s arrangements for preventing and protecting children from sexual abuse in England and Wales. The Inquiry’s investigation into the Roman Catholic Church is examining how it has dealt with allegations and suspicions of child sexual abuse. This includes considering the extent to which previous reviews into child protection by Lord Nolan and Baroness Cumberlege led to changes in policy and practice.
The Inquiry has identified two case studies within the investigation: the English Benedictine Congregation and the Archdiocese of Birmingham.[1] The Inquiry’s case study on the English Benedictine Congregation has looked into two abbeys so far ‒ Ampleforth and Downside ‒ both of which have private, fee-paying boarding schools associated with them.
Ampleforth Abbey is in North Yorkshire and was first occupied by Benedictine monks in 1802. In 1930, a preparatory school for boys was opened in Gilling Castle and merged with another local preparatory school to become St. Martin’s Ampleforth in 1992. Ampleforth remained a boys’ school until 2002 and is now a mixed school with around 600 students aged between 12 and 18.
Downside Abbey is in Somerset and has had a small monastic school for boys since the 19th century. This developed into the present-day Downside School that remained a boys’ school until 2005 and is now a mixed school with around 350 pupils aged between 11 and 18.
Both Ampleforth and Downside schools have been the subject of concerns about the sexual abuse of pupils, some of which have resulted in criminal investigations and convictions. This investigation is examining whether the schools took responsibility for safeguarding children and protecting them from sexual abuse. It is also looking at the English Benedictine Congregation’s efforts to investigate, learn lessons and implement changes in response to allegations of child sexual abuse.
3 preliminary hearings (held on 28 July 2016, 6 June 2017 and 5 October 2017)
14 days of public hearings (held between 27 November and 15 December 2017)
16 core participants (complainants, Adrian Child, Eileen Shearer, Ampleforth Abbey and School, Downside Abbey and School, Ealing Abbey and St Benedict's School, the English Benedictine Congregation, North Yorkshire Police, the Metropolitan Police, the Independent Schools Inspectorate, Ofsted and the Catholic Council for the Inquiry)
63,095 pages of evidence disclosed to core participants
The Inquiry is still considering its findings in relation to this public hearing and these will be published in a separate investigation report later this year.
Another public hearing on the English Benedictine Congregation case study will take place early next year and will focus on Ealing Abbey. The public hearing for this Benedictine abbey and school was deferred due to an ongoing court case concerning child sexual abuse. The Inquiry may also consider matters related to Worth, another Benedictine abbey. Annex A to this report includes a progress report on the wider ‘Roman Catholic Church’ investigation.