Earlier, Prof Alexis Jay, who chaired the national independent inquiry into child sexual abuse and separately advised the C of E on safeguarding, also said it was “absolutely necessary” for the synod to back full independence.
Joanne Grenfell, the bishop of Stepney and the C of E’s lead bishop on safeguarding, told synod members on Tuesday that the church needed to act to “end a painful and shameful time of reckoning” on abuse.
Abuse survivors protested outside Church House in Westminster on Tuesday morning, pleading with synod members to make the C of E’s safeguarding processes fully independent.
However, Jonathan Gibbs, the bishop of Rochester, argued that retaining local safeguarding professionals within the C of E’s structures, where they could “see and challenge the way things are done day by day” offered the “best chance for changing the culture” of the church.
The Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, who represents the C of E in the House of Commons, said the church was facing a “watershed moment” and that it must show parliament and the public that it is “fully committed to change”.
