Clergy Abuse in Africa: A Long Overdue Reckoning for the Church of England and Catholic Church

Clergy Abuse in Africa: A Long Overdue Reckoning for the Church of England and Catholic Church

The Church of England is facing an overdue reckoning for its mishandling of child abuse cases, particularly in Africa, following the resignation of Archbishop Justin Welby in November. This decision came after an independent review highlighted his failure to report John Smyth, a barrister who spent decades abusing over 100 boys and young men in Church of England-affiliated summer camps across England, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Smyth, who died in Cape Town in 2018, never faced justice for his heinous crimes.

The review revealed that the Church had known about Smyth’s abuses since 1982, yet failed to act, shielding him from accountability. He was allowed to move from England to Zimbabwe without any intervention from authorities. During the 1990s, Smyth is believed to have abused at least 80 boys in Zimbabwe, often at camps organized under the Church’s auspices. His most notorious crime occurred in Marondera, near Harare, in 1992 when a 16-year-old boy, Guide Nyachuru, drowned under suspicious circumstances at a camp led by Smyth. Despite initial charges of culpable homicide, the case was mysteriously dropped after protracted delays and investigative errors, and Smyth eventually moved to South Africa.

Smyth’s abuses were not isolated incidents. The scope of child abuse within the Church in Zimbabwe was broader, with systemic failures that allowed many clergy members to escape justice. As early as 1989-90, rumors began circulating at the Jesuit-run St Ignatius College near Harare, where students spoke of abuses by priests. However, these allegations were not openly addressed, and any efforts to stop the abuse were largely ignored. As the author of this piece discovered during research for a novel based on these events, many survivors, now adults, recounted stories of horrific mistreatment at St Ignatius, St George’s College, and St Francis Xavier (Kutama), two other prominent Jesuit institutions in Zimbabwe.

During interviews, survivors mentioned several priests by name, and one such priest, James Chaning-Pearce, was eventually convicted of abuse in England in 1997 after a former victim identified him in Australia. However, the Catholic Church did not assist in bringing Chaning-Pearce to justice. His conviction in England was only possible because the case was pursued by a former student who had been abused by Chaning-Pearce at St George’s College in Zimbabwe. Despite his conviction in England, Chaning-Pearce was never held accountable for his alleged abuse in Zimbabwe, where his crimes remain largely unaddressed.

This tragic history highlights the deep-rooted issue of clergy abuse in African institutions, especially in schools that were supposed to offer refuge and education to some of the brightest children in Zimbabwe. Many students, particularly from poorer families, viewed schools like St Ignatius as their best chance for advancement, yet were subjected to unspeakable abuse at the hands of trusted clergy.

The time has come for both the Catholic and Anglican churches to launch comprehensive investigations into historical child abuse cases in their African institutions. Just as similar inquiries have been conducted in the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world, African victims deserve the same recognition and accountability. The churches must not ignore the suffering of their African congregants and students. Only by acknowledging this pain and offering justice can the Church begin to heal the deep wounds left by decades of abuse.

In his resignation, Archbishop Welby expressed his commitment to ensuring a safer Church, acknowledging the deep harm caused by the mishandling of abuse cases. Similarly, Pope Francis had previously issued a public apology in 2018 for the Catholic Church’s failings, vowing to take every effort to prevent abuse and cover-ups in the future. However, much of this repentance has been directed at victims in the West, particularly in Europe and the United States, while the pain of African victims, especially in Zimbabwe, remains largely unacknowledged.

The churches must demonstrate that their commitment to preventing abuse is global, encompassing all of their congregations, not just those in Western nations. The survivors of clergy abuse in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, deserve the same recognition, accountability, and justice as their counterparts in the West. Without this, the Church will continue to perpetuate the message that African victims matter less, a failure that would further compound the suffering of those already broken by abuse.

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