The Bishop of Liverpool has resigned after he was accused of sexual assault and harassment.
One woman accused the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath of kissing her without consent and groping her, and another woman accused him of sexual harassment, according to Channel 4 News.
Bishop Perumbalath, who denies all the claims, said he had decided to retire without any admission of fault or liability, but to avoid the issue being “a distraction”.
The Church of England has faced a storm over safeguarding failures, including the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury over his handling of a separate case.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has also faced calls to quit over his alleged failure to handle abuse cases properly.
Bishop Perumbalath said in a statement: “Having sought the permission of His Majesty the King, I have today taken the decision to retire from active ministry in the Church of England.”
He said he had consistently maintained that he had not done anything wrong. “Since the claims were made in 2023, they have been investigated and considered by experts from the National Safeguarding Team and had found them unsubstantiated.
“The first allegation was also investigated by the police resulting in no further action.”
He claimed that despite this, media reports had treated him as guilty on all charges and treated the allegations as fact.
“Further it has been erroneously reported that prior to my appointment as Bishop of Liverpool I had failed the safeguarding assessment process. This is categorically not true.
“As the Church of England have made clear in their written statements over the past 48 hours responding to these false claims, the National Safeguarding Team found no concerns about my operational safeguarding experience and recommended some development work for me as I took on additional strategic safeguarding responsibilities – which is commonly the case for new diocesan bishops.
“This rush to judgment and my trial by media (be that social or broadcast) has made my position untenable due to the impact it will have on the Diocese of Liverpool and the wider church whilst we await further reviews and next steps.”
His statement went on: “I do not wish this story to become a distraction for this incredible diocese and its people whom it has been an honour and joy to serve.”
Archbishop Cottrell said he respected Bishop Perumbalath’s decision, adding: “My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation.”
The Diocese of Liverpool said: “This is a deeply painful situation, and we hold all concerned in our prayers.”