British archdiocese under fire in sex-abuse case
May 07, 2012
The Archdiocese of Birmingham, England has been set on the defensive by the revelation that archdiocesan officials were aware of a priest’s pedophile activities 25 years before he was convicted in 2010.
James Robinson, who has been laicized and is now serving a 21-year prison term, left Birmingham for the US in 1985. An archdiocesan official wrote to his counterparts in Los Angeles explaining that Robinson wanted to escape the fallout of an “unwholesome relationship” with a young British man. He was eventually charged with 21 counts of molesting boys.
A spokesman for the Birmingham archdiocese assured reporters that a similar case could not occur today. “The Catholic Church now has robust and effective policies and procedures in place to ensure that all allegations of abuse are reported to the police immediately.”
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Further information:
- Catholic Church 'knew about Coventry paedo priest in 1985 (Coventry Telegraph)
- Birmingham Catholic Archdiocese defends abuse case handling (BBC)
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