Bishop: My pride at panel work
The Bishop of Liverpool, The Right Reverend James Jones, has spoken of his immense pride at the work the Hillsborough Independent Panel did in helping reveal the truth about what actually happened at the 1989 disaster.
The bishop chaired the panel from 2010 until the release of its groundbreaking report on September 12 of last year and paved the way for new inquests into the deaths of the 96 Liverpool fans.
On the 24th anniversary of the disaster, he recalled the monumental day the panel's report was released at Liverpool Cathedral.
He said: "People were saying, what is a bishop doing chairing a panel like this? What that question raises is another question which is if through a particular episode the police, the press, the politicians and even the judiciary come under scrutiny, who does society turn to at the moment? Who do they turn to? What institution can they turn to that has some respect within the community for looking at all of these questions that have been raised about those other institutions with society.
"Some people told me it was a poisoned chalice, I suppose because in setting up the panel you would raise the expectations of the families and then if those expectations weren't satisfied then people might turn on the panel.
"There must be a measure of truth and justice in order for people to live and be at peace with themselves. When truth and justice are denied, I think that undermines that security and sense of wholeness.
"After 23 years, the families didn't really know that they could trust anybody because they'd been rebuffed the whole time. We came to the cathedral and in this place, we expect now to hear the truth.
"I remember looking down on the people as their faces showed what they were absorbing.
"People went there obviously not knowing what the report was going to say, what the documents were going to reveal, but somehow coming in here to this building enabled them to have trust on that day. It felt to me that there in the house of God, truth was calling out to justice.
"Then at the end, two people came up from out of the family group to the microphone and that was a tense moment because none of us knew what it was they would say. I gave them the podium and they spoke.
"Basically what these two men said was that they hadn't really trusted that the panel would be able to do anything, and they said that they were wrong."
The Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed in the aftermath of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
MP Andy Burnham was instrumental in its creation after experiencing first-hand the depth of feeling and emotion on Merseyside about Hillsborough during the 2009 memorial service.
"I remember coming out of the players' tunnel on the 20th anniversary and there were over 30,000 people gathered for the service," recalled the bishop.
"And then Andy Burnham, who was secretary of state for the department of culture, media and sport, he came to the stand.
"He mentioned the Prime Minister who had just said a week or so earlier there would never be another inquiry into Hillsborough, and a lone voice from the crowd just shouted out 'justice for the 96'.
"With that, the whole crowd stood and chanted. It was the most extraordinary sound. They could not have been more in unison."