Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has said he is sorry he was not able to act sooner in the case of sex abuse by a priest in the Church of England but insisted it was not the case of an abuser being protected.
Mr Cottrell, the Church of England’s second-most senior bishop, has faced calls to resign over his handling of the case of David Tudor, who was banned from ministry for life this year after admitting what the Church described as serious sexual abuse involving two girls aged 15 and 16.
Decades earlier, Tudor had been suspended from ministry for five years in 1988, having admitted, according to a tribunal document, having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met when she was a pupil at a school where he was chaplain.
But he was was later able to return to working in the church in 1994.
The archbishop said he “acted immediately” within the authority he had regarding the case, and that it was “not possible” to remove the priest from office until fresh complaints were made against him in 2019.
Mr Cottrell said he faced a “horrible and intolerable” situation when he became Bishop of Chelmsford, having been briefed on the situation in 2010.
In a statement following a BBC investigative report on Monday, he said: “I am deeply sorry that we were not able to take action earlier, but that was the situation I inherited.
“It is extremely disappointing that this story is being reported as if it was an abuser being ignored or even protected.
“Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. And to present it this way only re-traumatises already hurt people.
“The situation with David Tudor was an awful situation to live with and to manage and has meant many people suffering as a result.
“I want victims and survivors to know that everything was done to understand, assess and manage the risk. I also want them to know that I fully welcome the outcome of the tribunal in October 2024.”
He said he had worked with the Chelmsford diocese safeguarding team from 2010 “to ensure the risk was managed”, having had “no legal grounds” to suspend Tudor before 2019.
He acknowledged the courage of victims who had “bravely come forward and shared their stories from the 1980s” as well as a survivor who “bravely spoke to the police” for the fresh complaint in 2019.
But a bishop said it is “impossible” for Mr Cottrell to remain Archbishop of York or for him to lead the Church of England.
Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley said the Tudor case “calls into question his (Stephen Cottrell’s) ability to lead on the urgent change that is required in safeguarding, both operationally and culturally” in the Church.
She told BBC Radio Radio 4’s Today programme that, had she been in Mr Cottrell’s position in 2010, “I think I would have had a robust conversation with safeguarding advice in the room about how to find a way in order to deal with this situation”.
She said: “This individual should not be in public ministry. You find the options. You keep people safe. You think of the survivors.
“The risk for the bishop could have been that the bishop would be sued for some kind of constructive or unfair dismissal, but surely that’s a risk worth taking because it’s morally and ethically the right thing to do to keep people safe?”
A woman who was paid compensation by Tudor over claims he sexually abused her as a child told the BBC that Mr Cottrell’s failure to act when he was told about the payment means he should “leave the Church”.
Appearing to reject calls to resign over the case, Mr Cottrell pledged that he would “do what I can” to bring about independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church.
He said: “The Church of England now needs independent scrutiny of safeguarding so that those who do have understandable frustrations and concerns can have their voices heard and those of us who have responsibility for managing these situations can be helped to avoid them and resolve them.
“I have publicly supported this for many years. I pledge myself to do what I can to achieve it.”
Asked if Mr Cottrell should resign, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it is “not a matter for the Government, it’s one for the Church of England”, adding that Sir Keir Starmer’s “thoughts remain with the victims in these cases”.
Mr Cottrell is due to take on many of the soon-to-step-down Archbishop of Canterbury’s official functions temporarily from January 6, when Justin Welby quits over failures in the handling of a separate sex abuse case in the Church.
Mr Welby announced last month he would resign, after initially declining to do so, in the wake of the Makin report, which concluded John Smyth – the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.
Following confirmation earlier this month that Mr Welby will not deliver the usual Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, it had been expected Mr Cottrell’s sermon would instead be the focus on December 25.
The Archbishop of York is one of the members of the body responsible for appointing the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
It is believed the final membership – usually consisting of 17 voting members – of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) will be known by spring, with the announcement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury possibly being made in the autumn.
It is expected a period of public consultation will take place early next year whereby members of the public have their say on what they want to see in the appointment of the next archbishop, including an option to suggest names to be considered as potential candidates.
