On 27 June 2019, the Independent Inquiry on Childhood Sexual Abuse (IICSA) issued the following Press Release on the two weeks of public hearings in the Anglican Church investigation over the period 1 to 12 July. The topics of the first week’s hearing are summarized below and fuller details are available here; the timetable for the second week will be published on Thursday 4 July.

Press release: Inquiry to hold further public hearing in Anglican Church investigation

27 June 2019

The Inquiry is holding two weeks of public hearings in the Anglican Church investigation from 1-12 July. The hearing will take place from 10.00am to 4.15pm daily at the Inquiry’s hearing centre, 18 Pocock Street, London SE1 0BW.

It will focus on the response of the Church of England and Church in Wales to allegations of child sexual abuse, as well as the adequacy of current safeguarding policies and practices. It will also examine whether the seal of the confessional should or could be set aside in cases of child sexual abuse.

The Inquiry will hear directly from victims and survivors about their views on the Church’s failings and the reparations offered to them. Senior Church leaders and safeguarding experts are among the others due to give evidence over the two weeks. The timetable for the first week is available here on the Inquiry’s website, while the timetable for the second week will be published on Thursday 4 July.

As part of this investigation, the Inquiry previously held public hearings into the Diocese of Chichester and the response to allegations against Bishop Peter Ball. A report into those case studies was published in May this year.

Public hearings are streamed ‘live’ (subject to a three minute delay) on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel and on our website – www.iicsa.org.uk/live. The transcripts will be available on the website a few hours after the end of each hearing day.

Anglican Church investigation

Timetable for week 1 of the public hearing commencing on 1 July 2019

• Day 1, Monday 1 July 2019: Opening Statements.
• Day 2, Tuesday 2 July 2019: Responding to Allegations and Reparations.
• Day 3, Wednesday 3 July 2019: Posthumous Allegations, Auditing and Recruitment.
• Day 4, Thursday 4 July: Seal of the Confessional, Training and the Management of Safeguarding.
• Day 5, Friday 5 July: The Church in Wales.