Church of England compensates alleged victim despite Bishop George Bell dying in 1958. Has Bishop George Bell – the Anglican Bishop of Chichester from 1929
to 1958, and one of the Church of England’s greatest figures - become a
victim of the rule that people who complain of sexual abuse must always
be believed?
This principle was applied by police forces across the
country in the wake of the Jimmy Savile affair, and has caused no end of
problems. Now it has caused a major problem for the Church of England
too, which has been accused of rubbishing the reputation of a good man
and ignoring the presumption that someone accused of crime is innocent
until proved guilty. Innocent may not be quite the right word, as the
bishop is dead. But there is such a thing as the benefit of the doubt,
and he should be given it.