Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has said he is “deeply sorry that we were not able to take action earlier” over a sex abuse case.
Mr Cottrell is due to temporarily take over from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who will step down on 6 January when he quits over failures in handling a separate sex abuse case in the church.
However, his position has been called into question after a BBC investigation and he is facing calls to resign.
The investigation claimed that, when Mr Cottrell was Bishop of Chelmsford, he let priest David Tudor stay in post in the diocese despite knowing he had been banned by the Church from being alone with children and paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Cottrell said he “acted immediately” within the authority he had regarding the case.
Mr Cottrell said he faced a “horrible and intolerable” situation when he became Bishop of Chelmsford, having been briefed on the situation.
He said: “This morning’s news coverage incorrectly implies that no action was taken until 2024. That is not the case. In my capacity as Bishop of Chelmsford, I suspended David Tudor from office at the first opportunity, when a new victim came forward to the police in 2019. Up until 2019, there were no legal grounds to take alternative action.
“When I joined the Chelmsford diocese in 2010, I worked closely with its very professional safeguarding team to ensure the risk was managed.
“But it was not possible to remove David Tudor from office until such time as fresh complaints were made, which happened when a victim bravely spoke to the police.
“Once this happened in 2019, I acted immediately. I suspended David Tudor from all ministry pending the investigation and subsequent tribunal hearing in which he was removed from office and prohibited from ministry for life.”
The Church of England said the BBC programme showed a “catalogue of past safeguarding decisions that allowed someone who was considered a risk in the 1980s to return to ministry in the 1990s”.
“This should never have happened,” it added.
Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley has said she feels it is “impossible” for Mr Cottrell to remain in post, or lead the Church.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “My personal view is that the evidence before us makes it impossible for Stephen Cottrell to be that person in which we have confidence and trust to drive the change that is needed.”
She added he would lack the “credibility or moral authority” to lead the Church and said there was “still a strong element” of a boys’ club within the organisation.
Dr Hartley was the only bishop to publicly call for Mr Welby’s resignation following the Makin Review into the handling of allegations against serial abuser John Smyth.
Mr Welby announced he would resign last month after initially refusing to do so.
The report found that Smyth, the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church, could have been brought to justice if Mr Welby had reported him to the police in 2013.
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