The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has renewed its commitment to safeguarding after police in Staffordshire announced that a bishop in central England was charged with the rape of a minor. Source: OSV News.
In a statement published June 25, the bishops said the news of the accusations against Bishop David James Oakley of Northampton was “deeply distressing for all, both within the Catholic community and beyond”.
“We are profoundly aware that the report of this allegation may reawaken painful memories for many people and again offer an unreserved apology to those who have been hurt by abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales,” the bishops’ conference said.
The statement was signed by Westminster Archbishop Richard Moth and Birmingham Archbishop Bernard Longley, the president and vice president of the bishops conference, respectively.
Staffordshire Police confirmed on June 24 that Bishop Oakley, 70, was charged with two counts of rape against a “female under 16”.
According to the statement, Bishop Oakley was arrested in September after the crime was reported to the police and is set to appear at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on August 14.
The Northampton Diocese, where he had served as bishop since 2020, also confirmed the charges against Bishop Oakley “after an investigation into non-recent safeguarding allegations”.
“We understand that this will be very distressing for all concerned but cannot comment further on an active legal process,” the diocese said.
BBC News reported that police said the crimes were alleged to have taken place between February 2000 and February 2001. During that period, then-Fr Oakley was serving as parish priest at St Giles Church in the central English town of Cheadle.
In their statement, the bishops of England and Wales reassured the faithful of their commitment to safeguard and maintain a “zero-tolerance policy for abuse in the Church and in wider society.”
The bishops also said they were “cooperating fully with the statutory authorities”.
They also invited victims to meet with them “so that we can learn from and be guided by their experiences as we continue to make our communities safe places.”
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UK bishops ‘distressed’ after Northampton prelate charged with rape (By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News)
