It is essential that the reaction of the English Benedictine Congregation to the scandals surrounding its boarding schools, highlighted in the latest report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), should be proportionate to the evils described. And they are very great. All options have to be on the table, including the complete withdrawal of the order from any further involvement with the education of the young.
This would not begin to compensate for the harm done to children and the shame the order has brought on the Church, but it would recognise that rebuilding confidence demands a fresh start from a different base. Otherwise how can anyone say the Church is a safe place for children?