A Church of England bishop has accused fellow bishops of “careerism” over their failure to condemn a church cover-up of abuse, claiming they have stayed silent because they want to be the new archbishop of Canterbury.
After the publication of the Makin review last month into the church’s failure to stop the serial abuser John Smyth, the Right Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Newcastle, called for Justin Welby to quit over the scandal days before he did so.
Since then, Hartley said, she has been frozen out by fellow bishops. “Some are certainly silent I think because they do see themselves, sadly, as potentially taking over from Archbishop Justin,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme. “There is definitely some careerism.”
Hartley said the church’s failure to stop Smyth, who abused 130 boys and young men in three countries over several decades, showed it should be put under special measures for safeguarding.
She said: “The Church of England needs placing in special measures in terms of its safeguarding provision. There has to be something pretty drastic … it needs a complete rethink and a review. The credibility of the church has been shattered by this.”
She also called on serving bishops criticised in the Makin review to “step back” from official duties while their failures identified in the review were investigated.
Hartley said this may also include the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, over his failure to alert diocesan safeguarding officers or the police about a separate case of domestic abuse by a parish priest a decade ago.
Hartley said: “Anybody exercising a public role, including the archbishop of York, also needs to be subject to the same amount of scrutiny, and if necessary step back.”
She added: “There needs to be a completely independent look at individuals, bishops, archbishops, who have failed when it comes to safeguarding. And there have to be repercussions from that.”
Cottrell has said previously he wished he could have done more and was “deeply distressed and extremely sorry” for not responding appropriately.
Hartley also questioned why Welby was staying on in post until January, when he is due to succeeded by Cottrell on an interim basis. She said: “When you resign you step back immediately.”
Last month Hartley accused Welby and Cottrell of “coercive language” in response to her complaint about John Sentamu’s return to the church after his alleged mishandling of abuse claims.
Asked to describe her relationship with Welby and Cottrell, Hartley said: “I would say I don’t have a relationship with either of them at the moment.”
Hartley contrasted the numerous messages of support she had had from the public and those representing abuse victims with the silence from fellow bishops.
Since speaking out on the issue, she said, “for the most part the support that I’ve received has come certainly not from my episcopal colleagues who have been and remain completely silent … The level of isolation that I’m experiencing from the bishops and from the archbishops is what it is.”
In response to Hartley’s comments, the Church of England told the BBC: “The national safeguarding team is considering whether there is any new information in the Makin report that needs to be assessed for any ongoing safeguarding risk and any evidence to support any disciplinary or capability process against individuals named in the report who are still under the authority or oversight of the Church of England.
“A number of clergy at all levels have had permission to officiate, withdrawn or have been asked to step back from ministry while that process continues.”
