THE BENEDICTINE Order will lose control over the running of one of England’s top schools, following a report that has sharply criticised the order’s handling of cases of sexual abuse of pupils by monks.
Publishing his recommendations, top QC Lord Carlile said the existing governance of St Benedict’s School at Ealing Abbey in west London was “wholly outdated and demonstrably unacceptable”.
The inquiry began after the October 2009 jailing of Fr David Pearce, who admitted indecently assaulting pupils at St Benedict’s between 1972 and 2007. For much of that time Fr Pearce was the school’s headmaster, and he continued to live at the abbey after his tenure as headmaster ended.
Another monk, Fr Laurence Soper, who was wanted for questioning in London, disappeared in March after leaving a monastery in Rome.
Lord Carlile said it was clear that, between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, there were “repeated acts of abuse committed by monks”, adding: “It is difficult to conceptualise a situation in which other monks were not suspicious of or at least alerted to the possibility of abusive or inappropriate behaviour by colleagues.”
Lord Carlile proposed an independent governance for St Benedict’s. He said the existing structure, which comprised monks from the monastery, lacked “elements of independence, transparency, accountability, diversity and is drawn from too narrow a group of people”, while advisers to the school, including former Hong Kong governor Lord Patten, had insufficient influence.
The changes will come into force from next September. Accepting them, Abbot Martin Shipperlee said: “The revelations of abuse which took place in the past have led to a time of shame to the monastic community and to myself. I can only repeat what I have said many times before; we absolutely and unconditionally apologise for the hurt and harm caused by members of the monastic community.”
Up to 100 people spoke to Lord Carlile as he prepared his report: “The type of abuse alleged ranges across the spectrum of such behaviour. In several cases I received distressing accounts of personal experiences which have left a permanent psychological mark.”
Some of the abuse was physical rather than sexual, but Lord Carlile said: “It is clear to me that some of those ‘punishments’ were carried out in entirely inappropriate ways and circumstances, and on many occasions with sexual motive.”
He continued: “Such a motive certainly was not always overt, and indeed often may have been sublimated, in the sense of the person responsible channelling impulses regarded as unacceptable, especially sexual desires, towards an activity that appeared to him to be more socially acceptable, the punishment of children.”
Three monks are currently teaching at St Benedict’s, said headmaster Chris Cleugh, adding that they were “revered” by parents, pupils and teachers.