Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, greets Catholic schoolchildren outside
Westminster Cathedral in London in this file photo.
Photo: CNS Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he will not “walk away” from leadership of the church amid pressure to resign over his handling of child abuse cases.
Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has faced calls from sexual abuse survivors, lawyers and the media to step down since an inquiry into child abuse concluded that he showed neither compassion nor leadership in confronting the problem in at least two instances.
But in a November 20 virtual news conference to announce wide-ranging reforms to child protection systems in the English and Welsh Church, he said he had “no wish whatsoever to turn my back on this challenge, no wish to walk away at all”.
“I want to be there doing everything I can to take these important recommendations forward,” he said.
“I won’t be doing the work myself. It is the work given to professionals designated to do it, but they can be sure they will have my full support and enabling ability to bring this to a proper end.”
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, convened by former Home Secretary Theresa May nearly a decade ago, accused Cardinal Nichols of “preferring to protect the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and in Rome” over the welfare of vulnerable children.
The 154-page “Roman Catholic Church: Investigation Report” said that the inquiry found “no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change” on the part of the cardinal, saying “he did not always exercise the leadership expected of a senior member of the church.”
But, speaking to media, Cardinal Nichols emphasised that his “first thoughts are and were” for those who suffered abuse.
“To each and every one I express my profound apologies,” he said. “I have spent many hours listening to survivors, I have sat and talked with them, I have shared meals with them and I have wept with them. Nothing removes from my soul the horror of what has happened.”
“I remain shocked and ashamed,” he said. “It’s a reality that hangs like a dark cloud over my mind and heart.”
“Abuse is terrible wickedness. It can destroy or severely damage the capacity for trust and love. It can create of a life an empty shell,” he said.
“I say again I am very sorry for all that has happened over these years,” he added.
The national inquiry has examined abuse in more than a dozen institutions, including social care, government and the Anglican Church, and will report on each area before it publishes a final general report.