No place for abuse in the church

#1044 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 8 Mar 2015

In response to recent media reports of personal stories of alleged abuse “inside Christian marriages,” the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies released a public statement saying he was

particularly appalled that domestic violence occurs in our churches, even more so that it might be tolerated.  This has no place in any Christian church and should never be swept aside or excused.

Dr Davies noted that the Anglican Diocese of Sydney had sought to raise awareness of domestic abuse in various ways, including specific training for clergy.

He said domestic violence had many faces, “from the demeaning treatment of a wife or child, to the social exclusion of a person from the family, to verbal abuse, physical abuse and sexual assault.”

The NSW Council of Churches strongly endorses the Archbishop’s statement that all such actions reflect “conduct not befitting a Christian nor indeed any person in our society.”

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.