JUSTICE FOR BISHOP GEORGE BELL OF CHICHESTER

STEPHANIE D. COMMENT

"George Bell, whose wife Henrietta was a cousin of my father and also my Godmother, was a close family friend. He baptised my 4 siblings and me, and as children we loved and respected him. As adults we learned of his contribution to humanity. His memory is being crucified by the church to which he dedicated his life"

RICHARD H. COMMENT

"Martin Sewell's letter of 17 May 2016 to the Argus sums up my thoughts. Robust and open procedures should be undertaken for true justice to be done and seen to be done. There is no lasting value in a "cover up" to either the accused or the complainer. The evidence should be tested in detail"

PART 1 - "SPOTLIGHT" CONVERSATION BETWEEN BOSTON LAWYER AND TWO BOSTON GLOBE JOURNALISTS

Journalist 1:
We understand you've settled several cases...?

Lawyer:
Even if I'd been involved in those cases, the settlements would be confidential, and I could be disbarred for acknowledging their existence. Most of these folks, they just want some acknowledgement of what happened. We got 'em a sit-down with the Bishop and a little dough, and that's the best they could hope for.

Journalist 1:
Well, it's certainly the best the priests could hope for.

Lawyer:
No, the Church promised they'd take the priests out of circulation.

Journalist 1:
And did you follow up on that?

Lawyer:
[Question not answered] Do you guys need anything else?

PART 2 - "SPOTLIGHT" CONVERSATION BETWEEN BOSTON LAWYER AND TWO BOSTON GLOBE JOURNALISTS

Journalist 2:
Yes. Why aren't there any records? There aren't any records of any of these settlements. You never filed anything in court.

Lawyer:
It's just a private mediation. We dealt directly with the Church. We would draw up a demand letter and send it to the chancery.

Journalist 2:
So, this is just you and the Archdiocese's lawyers in a room?

Lawyer:
Correct

Journalist 2
Anyone else?

Lawyer:
Occasionally, the Church would bring in another defence attorney to help out.

JOURNALIST SUMMARISES CONVERSATION AFTERWARDS

Journalist:
So this was all under the table. There's no paper trail. At all. The victim has to sign a confidentiality agreement to get the settlement. The lawyer takes a third and the Church sweeps it under the rug.

THE BELL SOCIETY - Justice For Bishop George Bell : Seeking Truth, Unity and Humanity's Survival

"Check this out, a good campaign"

~ Guardian's Michael White ‏@MichaelWhite

https://twitter.com/MichaelWhite/status/735366526799380482

"SPOTLIGHT" - COMMENT BY XX

"If the Diocese of Chichester wanted to avoid a deep-bore investigation into its mucky past, a settlement of the Bell case was a natural move. There is, as Holmes would say, more to this case than meets the eye at first sight"

"SPOTLIGHT"

If you see this film please ask yourself:

(a) Are there parallels between what happened in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and what is happening in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester?

(b) Is legal action the only way to force the Diocese of Chichester to make public what they are keeping secret?

(c) Is the Church of England exploiting its powerful influence to protect itself from scandal, while the innocent pay the price?

(d) Will the film adversely affect the Justice for Bishop Bell Campaign?

~ Richard W. Symonds

THE BELL SOCIETY

Justice For Bishop George Bell - Seeking Truth, Unity and Humanity's Survival

https://richardwsymonds.wordpress.com/

ANTHONY S. COMMENT

"Innocent until proven guilty is a basic principle of law that seems to have been trampled on this case"

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - CHURCH OF ENGLAND POLICY

https://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/safeguarding-children-vulnerable-adults.aspx

"THE STALINESQUE DISAPPEARANCE OF GEORGE BELL HOUSE IN CHICHESTER"

https://richardwsymonds.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/the-stalinesque-disappearance-of-george-bell-house/

PART 1 - "SPOTLIGHT" FILM - DVD RELEASED IN UK TODAY - MONDAY MAY 23 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/13/spotlight-reporters-uncovered-catholic-child-abuse-boston-globe

BURNEL COMMENT

The Vatican and Catholic church has been conspicuous in wanting to be seen to be doing something (reluctantly) whilst simultaneously hoping to brush it under the carpet and hoping it will all go away. If the statistics are correct, approximately 10% of Priests have been involved in abuse, so what the Church has done is the tip of a huge iceberg, a token gesture. They knew what was going on, but it was kept quiet, priests were moved, free to abuse again, others put on gardening leave.

Spotlight is an enlightening film that will open many otherwise closed eyes to the enormity of the problem. It is well worth a look.

PART 2 - "SPOTLIGHT" FILM - DVD RELEASED IN UK TODAY - MONDAY MAY 23 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/13/spotlight-reporters-uncovered-catholic-child-abuse-boston-globe

“The Catholic church often talks about this as pain that’s in the past,” says Spotlight’s co-screenwriter, Josh Singer. “I think the survivors would tell you they’re less interested in the church trying to make amends and more interested in the church protecting children in the future.”

PART 3 - "SPOTLIGHT" FILM - DVD RELEASED IN UK TODAY - MONDAY MAY 23 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/13/spotlight-reporters-uncovered-catholic-child-abuse-boston-globe

The Spotlight team had identified 12 priests who they knew had been implicated in child sex abuse. They wanted to get the names out there, but Baron told them to hold their fire and aim for the bigger target: the Catholic church itself. “Would an editor have that sort of restraint now?” asks Singer. “As opposed to just throwing what you have up on the web? If you’d just run those names it would have been a he-said-she-said with every single one. Instead of talking about the bigger story, which is the system.”

PART 4 - "SPOTLIGHT" FILM - DVD RELEASED IN UK TODAY - MONDAY MAY 23 2016

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/13/spotlight-reporters-uncovered-catholic-child-abuse-boston-globe

Since the Spotlight investigation, the Vatican has moved to establish a tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of perpetrating or covering up child abuse. Critics say its remit is foggy and its powers unclear. Pope Francis’s visit to Boston last September was marred by his comments the week earlier that US bishops had shown “courage” in facing the scandal. Survivors responded with anger and incredulity. Generally, it is thought that the church still has a lot to learn about transparency.