Dear Siblings in Christ,
This Tuesday, Justin Welby resigned from his position as Archbishop of Canterbury, due to the handling of a youth abuse scandal. We write to you today to offer our prayers and support, especially since this news may be retraumatizing to some in our diocese. We condemn any kind of abuse and loathe the unfair and lasting impact it has on victims. Our hearts also break when abuse happens in our church, a place where God’s connective, healing love should be centered and where all should feel safe and a sense of belonging.
In response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe released the following statement:
“Today I am praying for the people of the Church of England, for our siblings in the Anglican Communion, and for all victims and survivors of abuse, especially clergy abuse. Abuse in any form is horrific and abhorrent, and it grieves me that the church does not always live up to its ideal as a place where all of God’s children are safe.
I commend Archbishop Welby for calling the Church of England to address its safeguarding failures, and I pledge the Episcopal Church’s commitment to this critical task in our own contexts and in the Anglican Communion. The church must be a refuge where people can come with the deepest wounds and vulnerabilities and be nurtured, respected and never abused.”
We, as your Bishops here in Connecticut, add ourselves to our Presiding Bishop’s pledge. We have included some resources below and encourage you to be in touch if you need support. Know that in ECCT God loves you, we love you, and that you belong.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Mello & The Rt. Rev. Dr. Laura Ahrens
ECCT Resources
ECCT is committed to preventing every kind of abuse in our diocese. We do this through offering Safe Church Trainings to our lay leaders and clergy. We also have a clergy disciplinary process called Title IV. To learn more about our trainings and policies, please visit our Safe Church webpage. If you need to report an instance of abuse please look at our Reporting Abuse webpage for guidance. If the abuse involves a member of the clergy, please reach out to one of our Title IV Intake Officers.