Location, location.... Sensation!

A statue of St Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order. It ought to be weeping tears of shame

Just over a year ago I was expressing my frustration at the seeming uselessness of the oddly-named Conference of Religious when faced with cases of child abuse by religious orders like the Christian Brothers. Click on http://millstonesblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/conference-of-religious.html to see the detail.

At the time I was struck by the location of the Conference of Religious. "Judging by its postcode, the Conference of Religious is housed in premises which are close to St Benedict's School, Ealing," I wrote. "Ironically, at this time the school is the subject of an enquiry by Lord Carlile of Berriew QC into clerical child sexual abuse at this establishment, which is run by the religious order of Benedictines."

My observation provoked a comment from one of my readers "It won't surprise you in the slightest to learn that the President of the Conference of the Religious is Martin Shipperlee, the Abbot of Ealing," wrote Jonathan West. The Abbey of Benedictine monks is of course close to St Benedict's School.

I was flattered to learn that Jonathan West has dipped into my blog. He's taken a businesslike and measured approach in his own, entitled Confessions of a skeptic, which has since 2009 specialised in examining abuses committed by members of a respected centuries-old religious order of the Catholic Church.

His blog, at http://scepticalthoughts.blogspot.com/ "is largely concerned with highlighting the child sex abuse which has occurred at Ealing Abbey and St. Benedict's School," he writes. "I have two aims: to try and ensure that the child protection policies of the Abbey and school are brought up to the highest possible standard, and to provide support to any victims of abuse at St. Benedict's or elsewhere."

Well, Jonathan West will be busy for the foreseeable future. A headline in the Guardian newspaper 'Fugitive Catholic priest urged to turn himself in' was one of many similar ones which appeared in the British press along with the news that the Carlile report has just been published. Click on http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/nov/09/monks-schoool-abuse-st-benedict-ealing?newsfeed=true to read the story.

It appears that the priest in question, Fr Laurence Soper is a former Abbot of Ealing Abbey who is being sought in connection with disclosures of alleged and proven abuse. Fr Soper is thought to be in hiding at an Italian monastery, having skipped bail in this country.

The Carlile report is apparently a devastating critique of the way in which St Benedict's School, Ealing, had been run, allowing "abuse, mostly – but not exclusively – as a result of the activities of the monastic community."

Click on Jonathan West's website at http://scepticalthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/11/sins-of-fathers.html to see more.