A reflection on the Makin Report and the resignation of the Archbishop by the Dean of Portsmouth

‘Listen.’   So begins the influential Rule of St Benedict, as it sets out what is needed to ‘establish a school for the Lord's service.’   I thought of this when I heard that Archbishop Justin had initially decided not to resign after the publication of the Makin report, which details at length, in unsparing detail, the horrific abuse committed by the barrister John Smyth at Christian camps for public schoolboys, and the complicity and failures of church leaders in never bringing him to account.

The Archbishop said he had taken soundings with unnamed senior colleagues, who had advised him to stay.   This decision, rightly reversed within days, encapsulates much of what has gone so badly wrong in this and other devastating cases of silence and inaction.  Yes, says St Benedict, we must listen - but to who?  In the first instance, God, but as the Rule encourages, also a variety of others, including the youngest and least powerful.  In the case of John Smyth, the voices of those who were abused were not listened to or prioritised.   What a terrible irony that a key motivation for this silencing was to protect the reputation of a particular Christian ministry, when now the whole church is besmirched.

There is another irony, in that the Makin report has been published, and the Archbishop has resigned, in the lead up to ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ this coming weekend (17 November).  This is an annual opportunity for us to focus on all that we as a cathedral, alongside other churches in the diocese and nationally, are doing to create a place, a culture and a community that is safe and enables everybody to flourish, protected from the damaging effects of harm and abuse.  Canon Harriet, the Cathedral’s safeguarding lead, has set out the key practical ways we do this in the Order of Service for our Sunday Sung Eucharist, at which Andy Hawkins (the member of the diocesan safeguarding team with particular responsibility for the Cathedral) will also be present.

Of course we are far from perfect, but we recognise and prioritise the vital task of transforming the church’s culture in this area.  The fact that Safeguarding Sunday exists, and that an Archbishop has resigned, are simultaneously signs that this transformation is happening, but also that there is still a long way to go.

Those who persuaded themselves that protecting God’s work involved silencing the voices of the abused, forgot that the God revealed in Jesus Christ always prioritises the most vulnerable.  This is at the very heart of the Gospel.   Listening to God necessitates listening to them, and acting and changing accordingly.  This is central to being a ‘school in the Lord’s service’.

With my prayers and best wishes,

Anthony Cane, Dean