The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is remaining silent on the question of whether anybody has been disciplined or removed from their post as a result of the safeguarding scandal now afflicting the church.

The refusal to comment follows the commencement of a PSNI investigation into any potential wrongdoing.

The church had been asked by the News Letter if anyone – either as an employee or simply a member – had faced any censure or disciplinary proceedings over any of the failings (for example, has anyone been sacked or removed as an elder?)

The church said it is “not able to add to anything that we have put into the public domain" at present.

placeholder image — A copy of a Bible during worship (photographer: Richard A. Pearson); the Presbyterian Church has been rocked by a safeguarding scandal, triggering the resignation of its moderator

The crisis hit the headlines on November 12, when the moderator Trevor Gribben resigned over “serious and significant failings in the central safeguarding functions of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland” which had come to light in a review.

The failings spanned 2009 to 2022 – a period which included the time (2014 to 2025) when Rev Gribben had been Clerk of the General Assembly.

The church said that one of the failings discovered was improper monitoring, saying that "a number of offenders have been identified whose monitoring has been deficient".

The News Letter had also asked the church what it is meant to do if someone in a congregation is revealed to have a conviction for sex offences – how are they supposed to be monitored, and in what way did the church fall short? – but its previous statement about not being able to add anything applied to this question too.