THE Dean of Jersey, the
Very Revd Bob Key, has been reinstated after he made a belated
apology for his handling of a safeguarding complaint (
News, 15 March).
On Sunday, a statement
from the diocese of Winchester quoted the Dean's words: "I regret
mistakes that I made in the safeguarding processes and I understand
that, upon reflection, it would have been more helpful if I had
co-operated more fully with the Korris Review.
"I now add my own apology
to that of the Bishop of Winchester and Archbishop of Canterbury to
the vulnerable person at the heart of this matter. I will be
co-operating with the visitation and investigation announced by the
Bishop on 26 March."
The statement also said
that the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Tim Dakin, "acknowledges
that, although mistakes were made, the Dean believed he was acting
in good faith. Following the commitment that the Dean has made, the
Bishop has decided that he will issue a new Commission to the Dean
with immediate effect.
"The Bishop and the Dean
have also agreed that, in the light of these recent events, there
are areas in Jersey Canon Law which would benefit from further
review, and they are committed to working together as necessary to
revise them."
On Tuesday, Bishop Dakin
said that Dean Key's apology to the victim was "most
important".
An investigation into the
Korris Review, looking at the facts and recommendations in it,
would be completed "in weeks" and led by a judge. The visitation
led by Bishop John Gladwin (
News, 22 March) would be a "wider process" exploring the
relationship between the deanery, the diocese, and the Church of
England. Bishop Dakin said that the investigation could have
implications for the future of Dean Key, returning to matters
highlighted in the Korris Review which were "serious enough for me
to have withdrawn his commission" but he was "hoping we can work
together in the future positively".
On Sunday, Dean Key told
BBC Radio Jersey that "the reinstatement came about because people
get reconciled." Given the choice to do things differently, he
would have ensured that "my record-keeping was absolutely
state-of-the-art". Asked whether he would look back on recent weeks
as a "learning curve", he said: "No. I'll look back and see it as a
time of pain. . .
"I think I'll look back on this time as a period where I learned
a little bit more that God is God and I am not, and that I learned
to trust him even when things are really very tough."