Kit Cunningham
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Christopher Basil Cunningham IC, MBECunningham returned his MBE insignia to Buckingham Palace shortly before his death but was not formally removed from membership of the Order of the British Empire. (18 November 1931 – 12 December 2010) was an English Catholic priest.
For almost 30 years, as the rector of St Etheldreda's Church, Ely Place, Cunningham was one of London's best-known Catholic parish priests. His death, in 2010, was widely reported in the media. In 2011 it became publicly known that he had been involved in sexual abuse at a school in Tanzania in the 1960s.{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Ex-pupils-legal-bid-years-abuse/story-12807487-detail/story.html |title=Ex-pupils in legal bid 'after years of abuse' |publisher=Leicester Mercury |date=21 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826015101/http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Ex-pupils-legal-bid-years-abuse/story-12807487-detail/story.html |archivedate=26 August 2011}}Christopher Lamb, "Rosminians sued by former pupils abused by priests", The Tablet (18 June 1011), p32{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/faith/faith-central/?blogId=Blog67e00a59-2604-4493-b50c-bca9f066de31Post3e33982c-e1b5-4b55-84c8-132e22678c31 |title=The party-loving priest who turned out to be a sexual predator |work=The Times|date=22 June 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26936 |title=Former pupils allege widespread abuse |publisher=Cath News |date=22 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122015/http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26936 |archivedate=27 September 2011 }}
Cunningham was educated at Ratcliffe College and entered the Rosminian religious order.{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2011/06/22/the-rosminian-order-must-face-up-to-its-past-what-happened-in-tanzania-was-a-moral-catastrophe/ |work=The Catholic Herald|title=The Rosminian order must face up to its past: what happened in Tanzania was a moral catastrophe |date =22 June 2011}}
Tanzania and sexual abuse of young boys
During the 1960s, Cunningham was stationed at St Michael's Catholic Boarding School in Soni, Tanzania. While there he and other Rosminian priests perpetrated sexual abuse against young boys that made this school, according to one pupil, "a loveless, violent and sad hellhole". Other pupils recall being photographed naked, hauled out of bed at night to have their genitals fondled and other sexual abuse.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/jun/19/kit-cunningham-child-abuse |work= The Guardian|title= He was my priest and my friend. Then I found out he was a paedophile |date= 19 June 2011 |location=London |first=Peter |last=Stanford}}{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0124y7n |publisher=BBC |title= Abused: Breaking the Silence |date= 20 June 2011}} Cunningham in at least one case "forced a boy to perform a sex act on him."
Although Cunningham's abuse was known about by the Rosminian order before his death in 2010, it was covered up{{cite news |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100093079/fr-kit-cunninghams-paedophile-past-heads-should-roll-after-the-rosminian-orders-disgraceful-cover-up/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624040233/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100093079/fr-kit-cunninghams-paedophile-past-heads-should-roll-after-the-rosminian-orders-disgraceful-cover-up/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2011 |work= The Telegraph|title= "Fr Kit Cunningham's paedophile past: heads should roll after the Rosminian order's disgraceful cover-up" |author=Damian Thompson |date = 21 June 2011 |location=London}}{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2011/06/20/why-didnt-the-rosminian-order-tell-us-the-truth-about-fr-kit/ |title= "Why didn't the Rosminian order tell us the truth about Fr Kit?" |work= Catholic Herald|date = 20 June 2011}}{{cite news |url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article651997.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113030311/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article651997.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 January 2015 |title=Celebrity priest was 'monster' child abuser - Catholic priest who quietly resigned his MBE was protected from public outing by his order despite routinely abusing boys as young as seven
|work=The Times|date=19 June 2011}}{{cite news
|url=http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26929
|publisher=CathNews
|title=Why did the Rosminians cover up Fr Kit's past?
|date=22 June 2011
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122036/http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=26929
|archivedate=27 September 2011
}} and knowledge of it only emerged publicly in 2011 in the BBC documentary Abused: Breaking the silence. The order resisted paying compensation to the abuse victims.{{cite news |url=https://vancouversun.com/life/Canadian+leads+abuse+lawsuit+against+Catholic+priests/5002201/story.html |publisher=Vancouver Sun |title=Canadian leads abuse lawsuit against Catholic priests |date=24 June 2011 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2011/06/22/the-men-abused-by-rosminians-deserve-compensation/ |work=The Catholic Herald|title=The men abused by Rosminians deserve compensation |date =22 June 2011}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-13880444 |publisher=BBC | title=Former 1950s students to sue Catholic order over abuse |date =22 June 2011}}
The Rosminian order has subsequently apologised for the abuse and the order's subsequent cover up.{{cite news |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100093612/rosminian-sex-scandal-order-shamed-by-bbc-into-issuing-wretchedly-inadequate-apology/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625083011/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100093612/rosminian-sex-scandal-order-shamed-by-bbc-into-issuing-wretchedly-inadequate-apology/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 June 2011 |work= The Telegraph|title= Rosminian sex abuse scandal: order shamed by BBC into issuing wretchedly inadequate apology |author=Damian Thompson |date = 23 June 2011 |location=London}}{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2011/06/22/rosminian-order-admits-inadequate-response-to-abuse/ |work=The Catholic Herald|title=Rosminian order admits 'inadequate' response to abuse |date =22 June 2011}} Moreover, their audited financial statements for the year ending 5 April 2015 report under the heading "Legal and safeguarding related costs" that "Last year’s report referred to legal claims which had been brought against the Charity concerning the welfare of children between approximately 1940 and 1985. A settlement has now been reached about these claims." The Charity was also liable for the claimants' legal fees. The matter has had a significant impact on the Charity's finances, with payment of their legal and settlement costs amounting to a total of GBP 1,746,523 for the year.{{cite web|title=Institute of Charity English Province; Annual Report and Accounts 5 April 2015|url=http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends08/0000222508_AC_20150405_E_C.pdf|accessdate=21 September 2016|archive-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923031746/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends08/0000222508_AC_20150405_E_C.pdf|url-status=dead}}
Views on marriage
Cunningham had liberal views on marriage. He made St Etheldreda's a popular place for weddings – partly because of its historic beauty, but also because his relaxed approach to marriage preparation, devoid of any embarrassing discussions about the couple's current domestic arrangements; he was willing to bless the second marriages of divorcees, against Church teaching.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8199757/Father-Kit-Cunningham.html |work= The Telegraph|title=Obituary |date= 13 December 2010 |location=London}} For the last 30 years of his life, Cunningham had a female companion, Jenny Floyd, until her death in 2006.{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/mary-kenny-devastation-and-disbelief-when-abuse-case-hits-close-to-home-2800395.html |work= The Irish Independent|title= Devastation and disbelief when abuse case hits close to home |date= 20 June 2011}}
Mission to journalists
Cunningham had a particular mission to journalists. As Fleet Street is only 10 minutes' walk from St Etheldreda's, journalists could attend midday Masses and even have time for a drink in Ye Olde Mitre, a pub next door. Masses were said in honour of The Keys, the Catholic writers' guild. On these occasions Mass was followed by supper with a generous supply of alcohol, before the guild's prayer of St Francis de Sales (the patron saint of journalists) was said. There were, however, feuds. Cunningham was said to have remarked of one newspaper executive: "The only way I’m allowing him back here is if he comes crawling into the confession box."
MBE
Cunningham was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, advised by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the 1998 New Year Honours. Following correspondence with some of his sexual abuse victims, shortly before Cunningham's death, the insignia of this honour was returned to the Queen. Some accounts allege that it was returned by Cunningham himself to Buckingham Palace, others that it was returned by mail on his behalf to St James's Palace by the Revd Fr David Myers, Provincial Superior of the Rosminians in the United Kingdom, following Cunningham's admission of guilt. Myers himself states that Cunningham returned the insignia himself.[http://www.rosmini.org/UK/index.html "Statement from Fr David Myers", Accessed 1 July 2011] Despite returning the insignia, Cunningham remained a member of the order until his death. Honours{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmpubadm/19/1902.htm|title=House of Commons - the Honours System - Public Administration Committee}} are bestowed by the monarchs and can be revoked only by them; they cannot formally be renounced. Honours are only revoked when the Forfeiture Committee submits a recommendation to the monarch through the prime minister. The monarch directs that the appointment be cancelled and annulled and that the person's name be erased from the register of the order and a notice is published in the London Gazette. Honours are normally forfeited when a person is convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for more than three months or is found guilty by a professional or regulatory body. Cunningham was never convicted of a criminal offence despite his admission of guilt.[http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/Honoursawardsandmedals/TheUKhonourssystem/DG_181375 "Honours Forfeiture Committee", Directgov, Accessed 1 July 2011][https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/4864530/Sir-Fred-Goodwin-How-an-honour-can-be-removed.html James Kirkup, "Sir Fred Goodwin: How an honour can be removed", The Telegraph (28 February 2009), Accessed 1 July 2011]
Documentary
Details of Cunningham's sexual abuse were featured in a BBC documentary, Abused: Breaking the Silence, which was broadcast on 21 June 2011. The programme also featured interviews with several of his victims. The abuse was not mentioned in the obituaries published following his death.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/21/tv-review-abused-breaking-silence |work= The Guardian|title= TV review: Abused: Breaking the Silence | date= 21 June 2011 |location=London |first=John |last=Crace}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8590414/Abused-Breaking-the-Silence-BBC-One-review.html |work= The Telegraph|title= TV review: Abused: Breaking the Silence | date= 22 June 2011 |location=London |first=Chris |last=Harvey}}{{cite news |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/tv-radio/article3069806.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006093553/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/tv-radio/article3069806.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 October 2012 |work= The Times|title= TV review: Abused: Breaking the Silence | date= 22 June 2011}}
Notes
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References
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Category:20th-century criminals
Category:20th-century English Roman Catholic priests
Category:21st-century English Roman Catholic priests
Category:British expatriates in Italy
Category:English expatriates in Ireland
Category:British expatriates in Tanzania
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People educated at Ratcliffe College
Category:Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United Kingdom