Incoming Presbyterian Church in Ireland Moderator Apologizes Over Safeguarding Failures

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is facing a safeguarding scandal over failures in its child protection policy, which erupted four months before the interviews that form the basis of one report. The church’s headquarters are the Assembly Buildings in Belfast. According to one report, Rev Richard Kerr, described as the incoming leader, apologised and said the church had got things wrong in its central safeguarding systems. He said he wanted to rebuild trust, telling the newspaper, “My door is open.”

An internal, unpublished report found that the church failed to deal adequately with child protection issues involving three congregations over a 13-year period. It also found that the church failed to make required referrals to statutory authorities and did not monitor some offenders who wanted to return to worship, as it should have. The report’s findings on accountability for those entrusted with oversight of children’s safety (Luke 12:48) form the core of the apology that followed.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has received 101 referrals, and one report says that number is expected to rise. The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) is also conducting an investigation. A second report says the current investigations by the PSNI and the Charities Commission followed the internal report.

Former moderator Rev Trevor Gribben resigned last November after the internal report found “serious and significant failings” in safeguarding between 2009 and 2022, according to the second report. That report, an opinion piece, quotes the current moderator, Rev Richard Murray, describing the church as living through an ecclesiastical earthquake. The two reports differ on who holds the leadership role: the first presents Kerr as the incoming leader, while the second identifies Murray as the sitting moderator.

The church’s special general assembly met in Belfast to update its 400 members across Ireland. There, Rev David Bruce announced that Dermot Parsons, who was due to become the new head of safeguarding, had resigned. No further information was offered about his resignation. The church also asked congregations not to destroy any safeguarding-related material, at the reported request of the PSNI.

After a debate lasting just over two hours, the assembly agreed to establish a senior leadership team. The new team will include a new post of operations director and a new clerk of the general assembly.