Robert Waddington

Robert Murray Waddington, OGS (24 October 1927 – 15 March 2007) was a British Anglican priest. He was the dean of Manchester in the Church of England from 1984 to 1993. He additionally served as superior of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd (a dispersed community of Anglicans) from 1987 until 1990.

Early life and education Born in Bognor Regis on 24 October 1927, he was educated at Dulwich College, Selwyn College, Cambridge, and Ely Theological College.

Ordained ministry Ordained in 1954, he began his career at St John's, Bethnal Green. Afterwards he was chaplain at Slade School in Warwick, Queensland. He returned to England in 1959 to join the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, an order of celibate priests. After 18 months, he returned to Australia to become headmaster of St Barnabas School, Ravenshoe, where he remained nine years. until his appointment as dean. He was superior of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd from 1987 until 1990. He had been suffering from throat cancer. He reported that he has been abused by Waddington in the 1960s and wanted reassurance from the bishop that it would not be allowed to happen again. However, he was not reported to the police; Hope had cited his "[concern] about Waddington's state of health" as the reason for not doing so.

One of Waddington's reported victims spoke to The Times in May 2013, described how he was groomed by Waddington while he was a choir boy at Manchester Cathedral in the 1980s. The sexual abuse started when he was 13 and continued until he moved away to university. He had reported the abuse to the police in October 2012.