The shocking revelations about how the Anglican church allegedly covered up the abuse of young boys by one of their priests John Smyth who was once based in Zimbabwe have once again exposed the need for the church to protect victims and stop protecting perpetrators.
Smyth, who is late, was moved to Zimbabwe by the Church of England in the 1980s, after his sadistic behaviour became known to church leaders in the UK.
He did not stop abusing boys in Zimbabwe and possibly in South Africa where he spent his last years.
Justin Welby resigned as archbishop of Canterbury last week when a review into the Church of England’s handling of claims against Smyth revealed that he failed to report to the police after he was made aware of the abuse allegations.
If Welby had reported the cases to the police, there were chances that the victims could have been accorded justice when Smyth was still alive. In Zimbabwe there are families that are still hurting because of Smyth’s actions.
In 1992, 16-year-old Guide Nyachuru drowned in a swimming pool at a camp that was organised by Smyth.
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Smyth was charged with culpable homicide and assault, but he escaped jail through a technicality after his lawyers successfully argued that the prosecutor in the case had a conflict of interest.
The Markin Review recommended that the Church of England must carry out investigations into Symth’s actions in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The head of the Anglican church in South Africa has reportedly swung into action by requesting details of Smyth’s activities in that country. We need to see a similar thing happening in Zimbabwe without delay.
Investigations by police and the Markin Review were first announced in 2017 despite the fact that the church knew about the allegations as far back as 1982.
If action had been taken at that time the abuse against hundreds of boys in Zimbabwe and South Africa would have been prevented.
There could be several other cases of abuse that mainstream churches are sweeping under the carpet due to a long-standing culture of silence.
Victims tend to shy away from seeking justice because action is seldom taken against abusers and this must come to an end.
Smyth’s story coincided with reports that St Ignatius College, a top Catholic school in Mashonaland East, was investigating allegations that one of its late priests Father Brian Porter sexually abused a number of boys.
The cases could be a tip of the iceberg and church leaders need to act in a manner that would help prevent such abuses in future.