Speaking in her first presidential address to the General Synod, the Church’s lawmaking body, Dame Sarah Mullally said that it has fallen “tragically short” in safeguarding abuse victims.
“We have too often failed to recognise or take seriously the abuse of power in all its forms,” she said.
Standing in the chamber in Church House, London, Dame Sarah, who is the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold the role in its 1,400-year history, was given a prolonged applause before her speech.
She said she hoped she was able to approach her new role with calm, consistency and compassion and that the Church could be “a stable presence in an unstable world”.
However, she added: “Nowhere is accountability more imperative than in relation to safeguarding, where in the past we have fallen tragically short.
“Safeguarding is a fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility, sharpened by our past failings and shaped by the work we still have to do.
“I am committed to bringing an approach of seriousness and focused direction to all matters relating to safeguarding in all contexts in the Church. This approach must be trauma informed, put victims and survivors at the heart of all we do and be committed to proper independence.”
She went on: “Progress has been made, yet we are anything but complacent. We must be wholly committed to listening to victims and survivors, to independent scrutiny of our safeguarding practices, and to delivering timely and robust trauma informed processes.
“We must be willing, always, for light to be shone on our actions and decisions. We can only begin to rebuild trust and confidence through openness and integrity.”
Dame Sarah has faced accusations of mishandling a complaint from an alleged abuse victim, known as Survivor N, who claims that he was groped and asked to perform a sex act by a priest.
Survivor N claimed Dame Sarah mishandled his complaint against the priest and failed him by claiming that his complaint had been “fully dealt with”, and also by sending a confidential email about the allegations directly to the priest accused of the sexual assault.
He said the way his case was handled caused him to have such a severe breakdown in his mental health that he made two attempts on his life. The Telegraph also spoke to a second victim, a clergy member, who was allegedly targeted by the same priest.
The complaint against Dame Sarah was dismissed, although Survivor N is planning to appeal against the decision.
Dame Sarah has also previously been accused of having “blood on her hands” over the death of Father Alan Griffin, who killed himself in Nov 2020, aged 76.
The Church of England admitted it made mistakes over his case, in which there were unsubstantiated allegations of child abuse and him infecting people with HIV.
In August 2021, a highly critical coroner’s report concluded he had killed himself “because he could not cope with an investigation into his conduct, the detail of and the source for which he had never been told”.
Dame Sarah was heckled over her safeguarding during the ancient confirmation of election ceremony last month at St Paul’s Cathedral – a ceremony in which she legally became Archbishop.
In March, a final event, known as her installation, will take place at Canterbury Cathedral, at which she will preach her first sermon in the role.
In written questions submitted to the General Synod, it emerged that the cost of her installation and enthronement amounts to £333,000. The cost is paid for by the Church Commissioners, who hold the purse strings of the Church of England.
However, in his written answers, Sir Robert Buckland, the Third Estates Church Commissioner, said the remaining cost of things including additional stewarding, security, audio-visual and sound equipment hire, as well as printing costs will be covered by “sponsorship”.
It is understood those contributing to this sponsorship include Trinity Wall Street, an Anglican church in New York.
Archbishop Sarah succeeded Bishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in Nov 2024 after he was accused of mishandling abuse claims against the late John Smyth, the Church of England’s most prolific abuser.