Dom Robert Igo OSB, who is also president of the English Benedictine Congregation, said in an interview with The Telegraph: “These were men who were trusted by the monastic community, and that trust was betrayed.”
Dom Igo said the congregation was “deeply sorry” for what took place. Claims of child sex abuse had been made against monks and staff at Ampleforth College since the 1960s.
Changes were made at the school after the publication of the 2001 Nolan Report, but the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in 2018 found that Ampleforth “prioritised the monks and their own reputations over the protection of children”.
The school was temporarily banned from accepting new pupils in 2020. A former monk was jailed that year and another in 2025.
Dom Igo said, “People often ask, ‘you must have known…’ – No! You don’t sit and chat about it. Today, you go around with eyes and ears open in a way that before [the inquiry] you didn’t.
“You presumed goodness and that’s the pain – somebody that you had sat next to, ate meals with…”
Dom Igo was unable to account for how monks could behave in such a way: “Our faith should make a difference to how we behave and the choices we make – and those people convinced themselves… It doesn’t make sense.”
The school and monastery are now governed by separate trusts, and Ampleforth College was found by Ofsted in 2023 to have a “strong, open culture of safeguarding”.
The abbot said the abbey and the whole English Benedictine Congregation now have “the most robust safeguarding measures”: “It’s not just ticking boxes.
“The dignity of every human being is of paramount importance, [as is] the safety of every visitor who comes here, otherwise we have no right to invite them.
“My task is to make sure that we are examples of good practice, that safeguarding isn’t just a government requirement, but a theological basis about human dignity.”
Dom Igo said there is fresh interest in monastic retreats, because monasteries can offer “an authentic witness of community life” in “a world that’s so fragmented”.