The Church of England's second most senior cleric, Stephen Cottrell, was cleared of misconduct by an investigating judge over his handling of a priest who had committed sexual abuse, documents showed on Thursday.
The Archbishop of York faced criticism in late 2024 over allowing priest David Tudor to remain in ministry during his oversight from 2010, despite a history of abuse.
In findings published on the Church's website, the church-appointed President of Tribunals Stephen Males concluded that, although some mistakes were made in the handling of Tudor's case, the threshold for misconduct was not met.
Males, a former Court of Appeal and High Court judge, noted that Cottrell had no power to remove Tudor from ministry and could not be held responsible for the decision to allow Tudor back into ministry, as it was made before his time.
The Church of England is hoping to turn a page under new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally following a string of abuse scandals that culminated in the resignation of its previous leader Justin Welby in 2024.
In response to the findings, Archbishop Stephen said he welcomed scrutiny of his decisions.
"We all have much to learn from this case. There are some things I wish I had done differently," he said.
Not everyone was happy with the decision, with some suggesting that Cottrell and Mullally have engaged in "mutual protectionism" on the issue.
"We are seeing a reversion to pre-IICSA culture in the senior leadership of CofE," one person commented on X.
"Both Archbishops and their advisors engaged in mutual protectionism. It's disturbing. Because it's rooted in unaccountable power."
One of Tudor's victims, Debbie*, told the BBC that the decision "sends a deeply troubling message about accountability" at the top of the Church.
"When senior leaders fail to act on serious safeguarding warnings and allow known risks to continue unchecked, they should be held responsible - not quietly absolved," she added. "This decision reinforces the sense that the Church of England protects its hierarchy far more rigorously than it protects vulnerable people.
"Turning a blind eye, failing to act decisively, and allowing someone who posed a risk to continue in ministry is not acceptable in any organisation — least of all the Church."
Cottrell was briefed about Tudor when he became Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010 and worked with professionals to minimise the risk. But he said in a 2024 statement that he did not have legal grounds to suspend him until nine years later when police arrested Tudor.
Tudor was banned from ministry for life by a Church tribunal after admitting sexual misconduct. The BBC broadcaster has reported that he had paid a woman who alleges he sexually abused her 10,000 pounds ($12,600) in compensation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
