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 after admitting what the Church described as serious sexual abuse involving two girls aged 15 and 16.
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.
Mr Cottrell said he faced a “horrible and intolerable” situation when he became Bishop of Chelmsford, having been briefed on the situation in 2010.
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
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.”
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.
