PCI welcomes PSNI investigation
17 Nov, 2025
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has said that it welcomes the investigation announced today by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and will be co-operating fully with it.
A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said,
“Having been informed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland that they have launched a criminal investigation we welcome this believing it will provide a thorough, trusted and transparent outcome. We will co-operate fully with the investigation. We will make available all relevant files, reports and information to assist police with their inquiries.
“As a consequence of the PSNI’s announcement today of their investigation we will not be able to make any further comment related to the inquiry or aspects pertaining to it.”
You can read today’s statement made by the Police Service of Northern Ireland by clicking here: PSNI Statement.
Safeguarding: Congregational statement
16 Nov, 2025
The following statement from Rev Dr David Allen, Acting Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), was sent to ministers in PCI congregations across the Ireland of island to be read by them in services today.
This is a statement from David Allen, the Acting Clerk of the General Assembly, who has asked for this statement to be read in all our churches today.
By now you may have heard the distressing news reports about serious safeguarding failings in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. I want to share some things about that with you.
An investigation into the handling of past safeguarding issues at Assembly Buildings level has taken place.
Between 2009 and 2021, with one additional case in 2022:
- we failed to make referrals to statutory authorities when these were required;
- we did not respond adequately to concerns expressed to us about individuals in congregations;
- we failed to respond properly when people asked for help when they had suffered harm;
- we failed to keep proper and adequate records.
Also, we were told by statutory authorities that some offenders wanted to return to worship in Church, and we didn’t monitor them as we should.
This was addressed as soon as we discovered it, with the statutory authorities and all required safeguards are now in place.
These failings do not involve our current safeguarding team, and did not involve everyone who was part of our team in the past. Alongside these failings, there were, and are, staff members doing outstanding work, and we thank them for it.
However, I must say now that these failures are inexcusable, and no excuse is being made for them. On behalf of the Presbyterian Church, I am deeply sorry.
I’m sorry, firstly, because people have been let down by us. Through past actions, or not acting as we should, we have put people at risk, and we know that some people have been harmed.
We have betrayed the trust that people placed in us and I am deeply sorry for the hurt and grief that this has caused. On behalf of the Church, I apologise unreservedly to everyone affected by this and to the wider Church. We want to do everything we can to support victims and survivors of our failings. We are truly sorry.
If you are thinking about disclosing a concern about harm or abuse that has happened, whether that was in the church or somewhere else, I want to encourage you as strongly as possibly to do that.
You can contact us, at the PCI response line. If you don’t want to speak to PCI, then please get in touch with the Police or Victim Support. All contact details are available by scanning the QR code displayed on the screen, by going to the PCI website, or by phoning Assembly Buildings and asking for Safeguarding.
I’m sorry as well, because we are part of the Church of Jesus Christ. He gave His life for us and He is the Head of His Church. He calls on us to minister and reach out to those around us, showing His love, speaking His Word, and doing all that we can to bring honour and glory to Him. We have failed our Saviour and Lord, we have dishonoured Him.
I am inexpressibly grieved and ashamed by this – to dishonour our Lord in this way is beyond words. I ask you to join me in lamenting this, in seeking His forgiveness, and in asking for grace to do whatever He calls us to in light of our sin.
Last Wednesday was the first time we were able to tell people that we had found certain things. That was just the start of a very difficult process. that’s going to last for some time.
We will not sweep this under the carpet, we will open ourselves to external review, and will cooperate fully.
An external audit is already underway, designed by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland, called Section 12. This audit will review our practices and processes, and will be submitted to the Safeguarding Board.
We have been talking to statutory agencies, and are continuing to do that, because we want to do things right, and we want their help in that. Again, we are co-operating fully.
On 1st December, Dr Richard Murray is due to become Moderator of the General Assembly. That day, he intends to announce that a special meeting of the General Assembly will take place next month.
This was a central failing, and I want to acknowledge people who provide compassionate and safe care in our local safeguarding teams. Thank you for doing that.
For many years, we have been blessed by a team of trainers in safeguarding, and hundreds of designated persons in our congregations. This is vital local work, and at a time when so much has been called into question, thank you for what you do.
Sometimes, when awful things happen, like this, we wonder what we can do. What we can do is pray.
Please pray to the Lord God Almighty, who is our Loving Heavenly Father. Pray for those who have been affected by this – those who have been harmed and their families; those who will now be anxious and worried; those who feel betrayed; those who are now suspicious of us; and those who blame us, and may be tempted to blame God.
Pray that those who need help and support will seek it and get it, that they will find comfort and support; and pray that even though the Church has failed them, they will know that the Lord has not.
Please pray for all of our Safeguarding teams and those involved in ministry within the lives of our congregations.
I want to finish by saying again, that we are deeply sorry.
We should not be in this situation.
Join with me in pleading with God to be merciful to us, to forgive us, to purge us of our wrong-doing, and to make us more like the Lord Jesus.
Pray that His will would be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven.
Thank you.
Victim Support NI
14 Nov, 2025
If you have been affected by the recent safeguarding statement from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and require additional support from an independent agency, we would encourage you to reach out to Victim Support NI.
Victim Support NI
The role of Victim Support NI is to help those who have been affected by crime, and their services are trauma-informed, confidential, safe, and free. A list of all their services can be found on their website: Victim Support NI | Supporting People Affected By Crime.
You can contact them from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on the phone number below. Alternatively, you can email either their Belfast or Foyle offices.
Belfast phone number: 028 9013 0405
Belfast office email: belfast@victimsupportni.org.uk
Foyle office email: foyle@victimsupportni.org.uk
For those living in the Republic of Ireland, you can contact the Crime Victims Helpline on Freephone 116 006 or visit their website: www.crimevictimshelpline.ie
You can avail of further support from the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline in Northern Ireland. Call them on 0808 802 1414 or email them at help@dsahelpline.org
No one should suffer in silence, please be reassured that help and support is available.
Safeguarding Review
12 Nov, 2025
The Convener of the General Council of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rev Dr David Bruce, made the following statement regarding safeguarding matters within the Church at a news conference held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast this afternoon.
Speaking at the news conference, Dr Bruce said, “My name is David Bruce and I am speaking to you today as Convener of the General Council of PCI. In following the remarks of Dr Gribben, what I will add today, is said in sorrow and with deep regret.
“I wish to speak about some matters which have come to light, and which will be of concern to many, both within and beyond the Presbyterian family on this island. Ensuring the safety of all those who take part in the life and work of our congregations has long been a priority for us.
“This essential work has been entrusted to our Safeguarding Team based in Assembly Buildings, who both organise safeguarding training and provide professional advice in difficult situations to ministers and leaders in local churches. Indeed, the Taking Care guidelines implemented by PCI some years ago have provided a robust framework for safety in our congregations.
“Our current Safeguarding Team has identified a number of situations between 2009 and 2021, with one as late as 2022, where we have failed to deliver an adequate safeguarding service. In most instances, this involved a basic failure to follow our own Taking Care guidance. These failings were magnified by major gaps in necessary recordkeeping, so it is inevitable that we have not identified all situations where practice was unacceptable.
“The failures identified to date include:
- situations where we failed to make referrals to statutory authorities when these were required
- situations where we did not respond adequately to concerns expressed to us about individuals in congregations
- situations where we have failed to respond to people who, having suffered harm, have sought our help
- situations where some offenders returning to worship in Church, following referrals to us by statutory bodies, were inadequately monitored.
“The person with lead responsibility for this work during these years is no longer in post. We are working closely in support of our current Safeguarding Team members to both follow up with those who have been let down where possible, and to improve our safeguarding governance arrangements and practice. In that respect, and to address these failings, we have taken the following main steps:
- we have liaised with appropriate statutory bodies in relation to both the overall failings we have identified, and individual poorly-handled situations
- all situations where offenders requiring supervision when worshipping with us have been reviewed and appropriate arrangements have been put in place in each case
- we have increased our staffing dedicated to safeguarding, and have reviewed and are updating both policies and procedures. You will appreciate this is an ongoing process that will continue in the months ahead
- we have put in place arrangements for people who contact our Safeguarding Team to escalate their concerns if they believe they have not been responded to swiftly
- we have enhanced the training curriculum being delivered to church leaders locally and also our central staff in Assembly Buildings
- we are currently refreshing our governance framework and arrangements for raising concerns about practice, also termed whistleblowing, within our central staff team
- we have set in place regular external cross-professional supervision for our Safeguarding Lead and Director
- We have implemented Practice Standards for Safeguarding, reporting against these to a revised oversight body to the General Council, which I convene
- We are commencing an audit of our safeguarding arrangements against a framework devised by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland and will submit this once it is complete.
“Above and beyond all of these necessary steps however, rests our primary concern, which is the people who have been harmed, placed at risk, or who simply didn’t hear from us when they needed help or guidance. We have let you down, and for this I am truly sorry. It should not have happened. I want you to know that we will do everything we can to both put in place better arrangements to prevent this occurring again, and to put the appropriate help and support in place for you now.
“Anyone in our congregations, or those more broadly associated with us, either now or in the past, who may have been impacted can contact us directly through a dedicated response line, or email address. The details are on the screen behind me: telephone number +44 (0)28 9041 7308 or via email SAT@presbyterianireland.org These details will also be on the PCI website and we are available to take calls from 9am tomorrow morning.
“I would reassure anyone contacting the team that they will be listened to, heard and responded to, as they should have been previously. Our response team, is trained to take a trauma-informed approach in this extremely sensitive work.
“To conclude, I say to you, the members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and others associated with us now or in the past, our failure in doing what you have charged us with doing, is without excuse.
I ask you to pray – that those who have been harmed might find healing in the time ahead, and that together, we might recover the qualities of caring compassion, which lie in our heart as a people, but which through these evident failings have been so seriously compromised. Thank you.”
Statement by the Moderator
12 Nov, 2025.
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Rev Dr Trevor Gribben, made the following statement at a news conference in Assembly Buildings, Belfast this afternoon.
Speaking at the news conference, the Moderator said,
“Following an internal investigation and report, it has become clear that there have been serious and significant failings in the central safeguarding functions of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland from the period 2009 to 2022. As a result of this, people have been placed at risk. We are aware of a number of people who have been harmed, and we believe there may well be others as yet unknown to us. We apologise unreservedly for this.
“The Church’s first and greatest concern about this is for those people who have suffered harm, and those who have been put at risk. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland profoundly regrets this, is deeply grieved, and will offer all possible support to those affected. My colleague, Dr Bruce, will speak more about this shortly.
“Although not directly responsible for the professional delivery of safeguarding within the Church, nonetheless serious and significant failings in our central safeguarding functions occurred partly during my tenure as General Secretary. In light of this, I have decided it would be best at this time for me to step aside from my current role as Moderator of the General Assembly, the Church’s chief public representative. I have therefore informed the Church’s General Council, and Charity Trustees, that I intend to stand down from the office of Moderator of the General Assembly at the end of this month, thus giving time to make arrangements for these duties to be fulfilled by others.”
“In addition, I have asked, and been given permission to retire from my employed role as Clerk of the Assembly and General Secretary. This will allow others to take forward all of the steps that my colleague Dr Bruce will shortly outline.
“I have made these decisions and taken these steps with the deepest personal regret that our central failings have caused such harm to those who deserve our protection the most.
“My colleague, Dr Bruce, will make a further statement.”
Irish Presidential Election
Presbyterians pray for presidential candidates
22 Oct, 2025.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s poll, Dr Gribben said,
“This Friday members of our congregations from across the Republic of Ireland, along with other citizens entitled to vote, will have the opportunity of choosing the next President of Ireland, as they go to the polls to elect a successor to President Michael D Higgins.“In my letter to our congregations in that part of our island, I wanted to take the opportunity, as my predecessors have done in the past, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for those who are seeking Ireland’s highest office. While the role is considered to be mainly symbolic and largely ceremonial, following their inauguration those who become Uachtarán na hÉireann will assume the authority that the Constitution grants to them. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 2:2, we need to pray for those in political authority.”
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator explained that through God’s Word, the Prophet Jeremiah also speaks about this. Referring to his theme for his year in office, which is ‘Hope and a future in Jesus’, Dr Gribben said, “I preached on my theme at this year’s General Assembly in June. It is based around Jeremiah 29:1 & 4-14, where he speaks of ‘seeking the peace and prosperity of the city’.
Dr Gribben continued,
“I said that God called His people in Jeremiah’s day to seek the peace and prosperity of the city – as we, His followers, are called to do today, and I believe that this means engaging in the place we call home by active participation in the life of our local communities, which includes taking part in the democratic process. For many that may mean simply casting a vote. Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s election, we should pray for whoever becomes the 10th President of Ireland, and for all those in political authority across this island, just as we are called to do.”
Áras an Uachtaráin (Photo credit William Murphy WikiCommons)
The one with the signs 