C of E bishops should lose responsibility for safeguarding children, says inquiry

Damning report says church protected its reputation above its 'explicit moral purpose'

Church of England bishops should be stripped of responsibility to keep children safe from sexual abuse, according to an independent inquiry that said the church had protected its own reputation above its explicit moral purpose".

A damning report from the independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), published on Tuesday, said the C of E's culture of deference and clericalism" meant it was a place where abusers could hide.