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The report published this week into the schools of Downside and Ampleforth, run by Benedictine monks, makes for devastating reading. For 40 years children at the Catholic schools were subjected to physical and sexual abuse by certain monks while others more concerned about the schools’ reputation than the plight of children covered it up. It’s a tragedy for the victims above all, but it’s also extremely damaging for the Catholic Church and the Benedictine order which was key to the development of civilization in Europe. Its monasteries were centres of learning and at their heart was the sixth century rule of St Benedict by which the monks lived. Many people today have turned to the rule finding wisdom about a balanced life and community, which they’ve applied even to the world of business. But now, after reading the report, published by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, I wonder: is there something about the rule itself that might explain what happened at Downside and Ampleforth? For example, the rule places all authority in the abbot: he is the monastery’s father figure, a Christ-like person focused on the well-being of the monks under his charge. But the report reveals this led to problems. Some abbots seemed more focused on a monk’s welfare than the plight of his victims. And they weren’t used to their authority being questioned or to working closely with outside organizations. Then there is the rule explicitly saying that monks are bound by life to their monastery. That idea of stability sounds fine in theory, compared to the problems a transient community can bring. But the abuse report reveals how the rule can be interpreted by flawed human beings. Abbots committed to stability were often reluctant for monks to leave their monastery because it was their home, even when they had been involved in abuse in the school on the same site. These issues seem to me to be vital for the wider Benedictine order to now debate – even if it means discussing the rule it has used for nearly 1500 years. Yet within its pages there’s wisdom too that needs to be re-emphasised. For instance, Benedict urges particular care about accepting men who want to become novice monks, saying it must not be made easy. Clearly there must be more thorough investigation of a person’s suitability if they are to deal with children. Above all, though, it is the first word of Benedict’s rule that is the most important. That word is Listen. Monks have been taught to listen to God, to their abbot, to one another. But listening to those who say they have been wronged by members of the monastic community and turning that into action must now become an imperative too.