Former Chichester bishop George Bell abused young child

The Right Reverend George Bell died in 1958 and he was Bishop of Chichester from 1929 until his death.

The apology follows the settlement of a legal civil claim regarding sexual abuse.

“The allegations against Bell date from the late 1940s and early 1950s and concern allegations of sexual offences against an individual who was at the time a young child,” said the statement from the diocese.

Following settlement of the claim, the Right Reverend Warner wrote to the survivor formally apologising and expressing his ‘deep sorrow’, acknowledging that ‘the abuse of children is a criminal act and a devastating betrayal of trust that should never occur in any situation, particularly the church’.

UPDATE: Abuse victim’s 1995 complaint against deceased bishop ‘not properly listened to’

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