The Bishop of Basingstoke has reiterated an apology from the Church of England to birth mothers and their children affected by historical forced adoption.
The apology was issued after the government confirmed on Wednesday, June 17, that it will make a full apology on behalf of the state after thousands of mothers were pressured into giving up their babies for adoption because they were not married.
The Church of England helped run, or was responsible for, about 100 mother and baby homes where women were sent to give birth between 1949 and 1976.
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In a formal apology, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullaly said victims experienced "pain and trauma and suffering and fear when you should have received care and compassion."
She added: "You have nothing to be ashamed of.
"The shame is ours and we're profoundly sorry."
The Bishop of Basingstoke, Rt Revd Kelly Betterdige, has now reiterated this apology for the church’s role and the “harm caused to women and their children, many of whom still carry the scars of the past.”
She said: "We do not claim to know every detail of what happened, but in our diocese, we are committed to learning more and hearing the stories of those affected, so that the church can be what it is meant to be: a place where every person is treated as being made in the image of God, with dignity and love rather than judgement."
The apologies come after research was carried out by the church over two years into its archives and other records.
It also spoke with birth mothers and adoptees.
