Bishop Paul Mason and Sister Una Coogan have welcomed the publication of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency’s thematic review into survivors’ experiences of safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Bishop Mason, Lead Bishop for Safeguarding for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Sister Coogan, Lead Religious for Safeguarding for the Conference of Religious, thanked the independent safeguarding auditor for its work and said the report would help strengthen the Church’s engagement with victims and survivors of abuse.

The review examines survivors’ experiences of engaging with Catholic safeguarding processes and is intended to help dioceses and religious congregations improve the support they offer to those affected by abuse. Its findings will also inform the continuing development of safeguarding policy and practice across the Church in England and Wales.

“We are deeply grateful to those survivors whose voices have shaped this review,” Bishop Mason and Sister Coogan said in a joint statement. “Their testimony is a call to deeper listening, honest reflection and continuing conversation in the way safeguarding is embedded consistently across the Church.”

The pair said they would study the report carefully to consider “proactive and appropriate next steps”. While acknowledging the progress already made in safeguarding, they said they recognised that “a more consistent model of support needs to be put in place for survivors of abuse”.

The statement also highlighted the work of the newly formed Strategic Council for Catholic Safeguarding, which Bishop Mason and Sister Coogan co-chair. The council has been tasked with promoting best practice and embedding a “One Church” approach to safeguarding across dioceses and religious life groups.

They added that the Church’s safeguarding policies and guidance are currently under review, with the findings of the CSSA report expected to inform that process, particularly in relation to engagement with survivors.

The statement concluded by reiterating the bishops’ standing invitation to meet with victims and survivors of abuse “so that we can learn from and be guided by their experiences”, adding that the Church remained committed to ensuring its communities are places of safety and sanctuary for all.

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