Christopher Jacobs said “there is a degree of urgency for this information to come out” as his clients believe the Church poses “clear and present danger to children”.
The Church’s attempts to build effective mechanisms since the Nolan Report in 2001 are “clearly not working”, he said.
His comments to a preliminary hearing at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on Tuesday came as the Catholic bishops of England and Wales ordered a thorough review into safeguarding procedures.
Mr Jacobs, from Howe and Co, representing 36 anonymous core participants, told the preliminary hearing: “Those who instruct me take the view that the evidence so far presents a picture of the Church as a clear and present danger to children as it is structurally organised.”
He said the Church should give an official statement answering the concerns ahead of a public hearing into the Archdiocese of Birmingham beginning on November 12.
Mr Jacobs said: “Does the Church accept that thus far it has been unable to implement consistent and uniform child protection across England and Wales as a result of its structure?
“If it is accepted there are structural impediments to providing children protection theChurch should be asked to state clearly if it believes that the structural obstacles can be overcome in an acceptable time frame.
“There is a degree of urgency for this…
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