Brickbat: Too Late
An independent investigation has found the Church of England rushed to judgment two years ago when it concluded that the late Bishop of Chichester George Bell sexually abused a young girl in the 1950s. The report, by legal expert Lord Carlile, said the church had "wrongly and unnecessarily damaged" Bell's reputation. Carlile said that church officials did not speak to witnesses and failed to uncover evidence that he had easily found. While he declined to say whether he believed Bell was guilty or innocent of the claims made against him, Carlile said he could not prove any of those claims in court.