Plague Carving; The Archbishop of Capetown and Latest Anglican Church Investigation

At the height of the English Civil War, the City of Chester was not only scarred by battle, it was also devastated by plague. One house, at 9, Watergate Street, was spared, it is still known as ‘God’s Providence House’. In 1652 a special oak relief carving was made to commemorate this building. Now, 367 years later, it has just turned up in a house-clearance sale in Shropshire and it goes to auction on Wednesday. Edward talks to the man who identified the carving Jeremy Lamond. The Archbishop of Capetown Thabo Makgoba met with Nelson Mandela in his home in 2009, in response to the request of his wife, Graça Machel. This moment marked the beginning of a moving relationship between southern Africa’s Anglican leader and Mandela until his death in 2013. We hear how this relationship influenced the Archbishop. "To fail at safeguarding casts a stain over every good thing the church does" those were the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury told the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA): this week. This comes at the end of two weeks as the inquiry has examined the extent of any institutional failures to protect children from sexual abuse within the Anglican Church. Donna Birrell has been at the inquiry. Production Team Carmel Lonergan Emmie Hume Editor Christine Morgan