Church head to meet 'abuse victims'

Marchers carried a scroll bearing alleged victims' names

The head of the Roman Catholic church in England has agreed to meet demonstrators who say they were abused by members of the Church as children.

This follows around 30 people marching in silence to the official London residence of the Archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, to demand an "unconditional apology" for their suffering.

We were beaten unmercifully and were punished... for things we didn't even know we had done wrong

Maggie Chapman, protester

Later, they congregated outside Westminster Cathedral where some wept as they remembered their own experiences or those of friends.

The protest, organised by the Survivors of Spiritual Abuse, was sparked by recent allegations of a Church cover-up of the paedophile activities of a priest at Gatwick Airport.

The protesters carried a scroll with the names of more than 1,300 alleged victims.

Protester Maggie Chapman, 60, from Bradford, said: "It is the first time I have had a chance to express my feelings against the Catholic Church for the physical, psychological, mental and spiritual abuse that we suffered at the hands of nuns as already deprived children.

Archbishop Murphy-O'Connor: His behaviour sparked protest

"We were beaten unmercifully and were punished for minor misdemeanours and for things we didn't even know we had done wrong.

"It just makes me angry that they were trusted by the establishment and they used the cloth to hide behind to abuse us children."

Demands for the Archbishop of Westminster's resignation were made last month after he disclosed that he knew of the paedophile activity of a priest but still gave him work as a chaplain.

Father Michael Hill was jailed for five years in 1997 for 10 sex attacks on altar boys and other children. They included a boy with learning difficulties he met at his Gatwick chapel after the youngster missed his flight.

The archbishop - then the Bishop of Arundel in West Sussex - said that he made a mistake when he allowed the priest to return to work. He added he believed appointing Fr Hill as a chaplain to Gatwick Airport was a "low-risk" placement.

Hill was jailed in 1997

In a letter to protesters, the archbishop's private secretary, Father James Curry, wrote that the archbishop "would be happy to meet with representatives of this group at a mutually convenient date".

"This latest initiative shows how important it is for the Church, and indeed for society as a whole, to continue addressing the issue of abuse as a matter of urgency," he added. "It is a call to listen to the voice of the abused and the Church welcomes opportunity for dialogue."

Protest group spokeswoman Susan Ni Rahilly called for an "unconditional apology" and a memorial to abuse victims.

She added that although there had been calls for the archbishop to resign, "he is probably the best person for the job at the moment".

Calling for "some very simple and positive measures", she said: "The problem is that the Church does not handle situations like this in the way the rest of society does.

"They are behind the times."