The Archbishop of York has insisted he will not resign over the fallout of sexual abuse allegations against the Bishop of Liverpool.
Most Rev Stephen Cottrell says he will remain in his post until 2028, at the retirement age of 70. He is heading up the Church of England, following Justin Welby’s resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury last year over the Makin review.
Archbishop Stephen's comments come as the Charity Commission says it will closely watch safeguarding reform in the denomination. This month, allegations were brought against John Perumbalath by two women – including the Bishop of Warrington.
An anonymous member of the Crown Nominations Commission alleges that both the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Oxford, Rt Rev Steven Croft, coerced members into making Perumbalath the Bishop of Liverpool, despite the allegations. The Bishop of Oxford denies these claims.
The Charity Commission has met with the Archbishop of York, and informed him that it will ask the church’s trustees to vote on whether there are any “structural, procedural or constitutional arrangements under ecclesiastical law that … conflict with, or prevent you and your co-trustees from fulfilling, your safeguarding duties as charity trustees”.
Speaking to The Times, Archbishop Stephen said the safeguarding crisis has been “a bit of a wake-up call, but … I welcome the scrutiny from the Charity Commission.”
He described the Charity watchdog as being “very robust”.
“I was personally very clear in the meeting to say, ‘Would you please help us? You’ve got experience from other bodies’”, Archbishop Stephen continued. “Often, someone from outside sees things you don’t see yourself.”
When asked if he would resign prior to the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury – which is expected to happen in the autumn – he said: “I have made mistakes… I’ve had to live with the constraints and inadequacies of our systems.”
He was adamant that he would remain in post until retiring in 2028, saying: “I’m determined to play my part in making this change happen … We need it for the victims and survivors, but it’s in all our best interests."
The Church of England's legislative body will meet next week to decide whether to hand over safeguarding responsibilities to an independent body.