tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post162133448445798433..comments2024-01-25T09:28:56.610+00:00Comments on Confessions of a skeptic: Truths and half-truths - the abbot's letter analysed.Jonathan Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00527063732905729010noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518202135348193859.post-26615312920470545702012-01-16T15:16:53.756+00:002012-01-16T15:16:53.756+00:00It should not have taken OFSTED or anyone else to ...It should not have taken OFSTED or anyone else to persuade the school to change its approach. I was at Downside in the late 70s. During this period I neither heard nor saw any evidence or rumours of abuse. However bullying and poor behaviour went unchallenged and I am sure that this culture of weak leadership was a contributory factor to whatever was in fact going on, either at the time, or shortly after. <br /><br />Recent events have been widely reported and there is wide debate about the accuracy of reporting as to who knew what and when, why did the authorities not act, and what point did the school respond or fail to respond to the various inspection reports. <br /><br />In short there is a hideous confusion and to my mind this is the collective fault not of lazy journalism but of the school and abbey who, by allowing information to emerge on the drip, have come across as weak and evasive. There is even a suggestion that the school may have sought legal advice in the past as to whether or not it was obliged to refer matters to the police. Forget the legalities, where is the morality in that? The result is that those I speak to, catholic and non catholic, wearily express the view ‘here we go again’.<br /><br />The various letters from the school refer to ‘abuse’. It was far more than that, the use of weak and euphemistic terminology just perpetuates the impression that the Downside authorities just do not get it. The conduct was criminal and it was ignored by the school; until a full and frank admission is made of that fact there will be those who cannot forgive or forget and I cannot blame them. The Abbot refers to the fact that procedures were different in the past as if this somehow excuses the behaviour of previous abbots and headmasters. Since when has the failure to report overt criminality to the police ever been a moral option when practiced by those with direct responsibility for the safety and welfare of children? What happened in the 80s might have been legal as far as governance was concerned, it was totally wrong and the school needs to deal with this. <br /><br />The most recent letter from the abbot does name some of those involved but also indicates that two others remain in the monastery after allegations were shown to be ‘founded’. This means that there remain in the abbey two individuals whose behaviour constitutes a threat. To what extent we do not know, as we have no idea what happened or why no prosecution was brought. The previous failure to prosecute Nicholas White is not a great precedent. Meanwhile we are expected to trust the fact that the safeguarding procedures are now sufficient and to be told that the school now reaches the ‘minimum standards’ is hardly reassuring. The two monks are not named. While I cannot comment on the legitimacy of the claim that to name them might risk identifying victims, the outcome is that the taint of suspicion remains attached to all members of the community. While I was at Downside I came across some really good people who were men of God and cared about others. The recent letter from the Abbot indicates that at least one monk in whose company I spent a great deal of time was subsequently guilty of abuse. I never saw any evidence of this but it is a pretty awful revelation, perhaps less to me than to my parents who trusted him. One personal effect on me is that is that I am now in a position of looking at the community and wondering if any others whom I trusted and respected are now tainted. Perhaps this says more about me than about the community but I cannot help it. <br />In conclusion, would I send my kids to Downside at the moment? Absolutely not. Would I recommend it to others? What do you think?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com