A senior Anglican bishop has announced he is quitting his post amid sexual misconduct allegations, plunging the Church of England into fresh turmoil.
John Perumbalath, the bishop of Liverpool, bowed to pressure after his senior leadership team called on him to step aside following allegations of sexual assault and harassment made this week.
The C of E’s lead bishop on safeguarding, Joanne Grenfell, had also called for Perumbalath to step back from ministry to allow an investigation to take place.
Soon after the announcement, Beverley Mason, the bishop of Warrington, confirmed she had made an allegation of sexual harassment against Perumbalath in March 2023.
In a letter to members of the Liverpool diocese, she wrote: “Throughout these past 510 days I have remained consistent and persistent in my pursuit of proper and appropriate ecclesiastical judicial process. A bishop cannot be above the law. A bishop cannot be dealt with differently from a priest. If anything, a bishop must be held to greater scrutiny. I regret we as a church have not properly and satisfactorily addressed concerns that have been raised.”
Mason has been absent from her post since April 2024. She described her absence as “long and terrible”, adding: “For my part, I am deeply sorry for my absence and silence. It has been excruciating.”
In a statement, Perumbalath said he was retiring with immediate effect. He is 58, 12 years younger than the church’s compulsory retirement age of 70 for bishops.
He said: “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.
“I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so.”
He said the allegations had been investigated by the C of E’s national safeguarding team, which found them unsubstantiated. One of the allegations was also investigated by the police, resulting in no further action.
“Despite this, media reports have treated me as guilty on all charges and treated these allegations as fact,” he said. “The 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.”
He added: “This is not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability. Rather it has become clear that stepping back from my ministry and waiting for the completion of further reviews would mean a long period of uncertainty for the diocese and all those who serve it.”
Perumbalath’s departure comes less than three months after Justin Welby was forced to resign as archbishop of Canterbury over his response to a separate abuse scandal.
Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York and the current de facto leader of the church, has faced calls to quit over his handling of a priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case.
According to Channel 4 News, Cottrell knew of the sexual assault allegation before Perumbalath was enthroned as bishop of Liverpool in 2023.
Some C of E figures claimed on social media that Cottrell had known for some time that the allegations would become public.
Tim Howles, a priest and research fellow at the University of Oxford, posted: “He knew last year that the story about the bishop of Liverpool would definitely come out. He knew for sure. And he still presented himself as the one through whom reform for the Church of England could come about.”
Jayne Ozanne, a former member of the C of E’s ruling body, the General Synod, claimed on X that the allegations against Perumbalath had been covered up by Cottrell. “I cannot believe Stephen thought it would just ‘go away’,” she posted. Cottrell needed to “explain what he knew, said and did”.
One priest told the Guardian that, after Welby’s resignation, Cottrell had sought to reassure the church that he would bring stability and enact reform, despite knowing about the allegations. “There is absolute dismay among the rank and file. There is no confidence that anyone has any grip on this, and no idea about what’s coming next,” the priest said.
Another prominent church member said Cottrell should resign but would try to “dig in”.
Cottrell said in a statement: “I respect [Perumbalath’s] decision and thank him for his ministry … I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition.”
The synod is expected to consider how the C of E can rebuild trust and recover credibility when it meets next month for a five-day session. The meeting is likely to be dominated by issues relating to abuse, safeguarding and the C of E’s failures to take swift and effective action.
Two separate allegations have been made against Perumbalath. One was of kissing without consent and groping, and the second was of sexual harassment.
Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Newcastle, who has led calls for action over safeguarding failures, said she was “shocked and appalled” at the allegations against Perumbalath. She posted on X: “Yet again, failures at the heart of the institution of the Church of England, and specifically by its leadership, undermine credibility and confidence in the church.”
