Details of an internal investigation have revealed more than 2,000 cases of alleged abuse dating back to 1950 involving the Church across the British Isles.
A total of seven suspected cases were uncovered in the Channel Islands. It is not clear how many of these refer specifically to Jersey.
The Rev Graeme Halls, Superintendent Minister of the Jersey Methodist Church, said that the results of the report were ‘sad’ for the Church but he commended Islanders and everybody who came forward to speak about their alleged ordeals.
‘It is really difficult to take, especially for those of us who have been involved in the Church for so long,’ he said.
‘I think when this process started no one anticipated such a huge response.
‘It takes a lot of courage to open the box on this one, and the people who have spoken are really courageous.
‘By doing this, it has helped people to come out and talk for the first time about what happened to them.’
The 96-page document, which was released on Thursday, follows a three-year investigation commissioned by the Church.
The allegations include 914 claims of sexual abuse, although the details of the reports in the Channel Islands are unclear.
‘It is important that we learn from this and raise our game and make everybody in the Church feel safe. That is what we aim for and work for.
‘I will be talking to all our churches in the Island and asking them to pray for the victims of this abuse.’
The States police have confirmed that no arrests have been made in connection with the allegations in the report.
They say that reports revealed by the inquiry fall under the bracket of a national investigation, Operation Hydrant, which is looking into institutional abuse in the British Isles.
Details of that operation in Jersey are due to be released next week.
The States police said: ‘We are not privy to the details of the seven cases.
‘However, any current safeguarding concerns or criminal allegations would have been referred to us unless these are past allegations that would have already been dealt with.’
