Lawyers lambast treatment of victims and say ‘buck has to stop with Cardinal Nichols’

Lawyers acting for child abuse survivors have called for the resignation of Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the highest-ranking Catholic cleric in England and Wales, saying the church has treated survivors with disdain.

In a letter to the Catholic weekly, The Tablet, the lawyers say Nichols, who is the archbishop of Westminster and was formerly the archbishop of Birmingham, “cannot credibly lead the Catholic church on these issues in the future”.

Nichols has given evidence in person twice in the past year to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), first on his period as archbishop of Birmingham and last week on safeguarding and support for survivors in the archdiocese of Westminster.

In its report on the archdiocese of Birmingham, published in June, the inquiry concluded that Nichols had defended the reputation of the church rather than protecting children amid allegations of sexual abuse.

The cardinal “focused too much on the reputation of the church during his tenure, rather than the welfare of children and the impacts of child sexual abuse on victims and survivors”, the report says.

“Children could have been saved from abuse if the church had not been so determined to protect its own reputation above all else.”

Thirteen people had been convicted of serious child abuse offences in the archdiocese of Birmingham, the biggest in the country, but “the true scale of offending and the number of children who were abused is likely to be far greater”, the IICSA said.

Last week, at a hearing of the inquiry, witnesses described safeguarding in Westminster as “dysfunctional” and “unsafe”. Nichols was criticised by the inquiry’s lead counsel, Brian Altman QC, for delaying church reforms and for defending the Vatican’s refusal to cooperate with investigators.

The lawyers, Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, and David Enright of Howe and Co, have acted for almost 50 victims and survivors at the IICSA hearings into the Catholic church.

They say evidence taken by the inquiry shows the church is failing in both safeguarding and support for survivors. “These failings have their roots in cultural and structural features of the Catholic church. However, the attitude and performance of individual church leaders cannot be ignored.”

Nichols has been at the centre of the Catholic church’s response to the abuse scandal since 2001, they say. The inquiry heard last week of evidence of “a shocking mindset in the diocese of disdain for survivors. On all these failings, the buck has to stop with Cardinal Nichols.”

Their letter concludes: “The charge sheet against Cardinal Nichols is a long one. Having failed in his leadership roles in both Birmingham and Westminster, he cannot credibly lead the Catholic church on these issues in the future.

“The systemic problems in the Catholic church in relation to safeguarding are not capable of resolution by a single individual. But the church needs leaders who command respect on these issues; Cardinal Nichols does not. It is clear to us, and those we represent, that the time has come for him to step down.”

Responding to the lawyers’ letter, Nuala O’Loan, chair of the Catholic council to the inquiry, said it was “wholly inappropriate to comment publicly” before the IICSA had published its final report on the Catholic church, and that the letter sought to “prevent and undermine” the process of the inquiry’s considerations.

She added: “The cardinal and [the Catholic council] remain fully engaged and committed to working and supporting the work of the inquiry.”