THE Archbishop of York is reportedly facing calls to quit over his handling of a “heinous” church abuse scandal.
Stephen Cottrell is due to take temporary charge of the Church of England in a matter of days.
AlamyThe Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell[/caption]
APHe had been due to step into the role left by the shamed Justin Welby[/caption]
But he is now facing allegations he allowed a priest to remain in a diocese despite him being barred from being alone with children, the BBC reports.
Tudor, who was barred from the ministry over historical sex abuse allegations, is understood to have also paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.
The Archbishop of York, then Bishop of Chelmsford, claims he did not have the legal power to sack the priest.
But Bishop of Newcastle Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley has today said he could have done more and should step down.
She told BBC File on 4 Investigates: “It completely undermines his credibility that this case was not acted on.
“How can you have the moral and ethical authority to lead an institution with that?”
Tudor is said to have paid £10,000 to a woman he abused as a child.
The victim, who cannot be named, says Mr Cottrell failed to act when informed about the payment and ass called on him to step down.
She said: “I feel like he [Stephen Cottrell] has spat in my face.”
Tudor is alleged to have abused seven women, one of whom is said to have received a six-figure sum in compensation fro the Church in 2019.
Mr Cottrell was Bishop of Chelmsford for 10 years before taking up the role of Archbishop of York.
He is alleged to have been briefed on “safeguarding concerns” over Tudor.
Tudor had previously been convicted of indecent assault of girls under the age of 16 and had been banned by the Church.
From January 2008, he is understood to have been working under a condition that meant he could not be alone with children.
Mr Cottrell claims he could not take disciplinary action against Tudor because all complains against him had been dealt with already.
But following a fresh allegation in 2019, which led to Tudor’s suspension, Mr Cottrell is said to have “had an opportunity to remove the risk”.
Ms Hartley says action taken by Mr Cottrell “should have been vastly stronger”.
It comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned last month.
He quit following a report criticising his handling of allegations against Christian camp leader John Smyth, who sexually abused 130 boys and young men.
Smyth, who was a lay reader and led Christian summer camps, died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018.
He was under investigation by Hampshire Police and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review said.
Mr Welby acknowledged the review found he had “personally failed to ensure” it was “energetically investigated”.
But he was also allegedly involved in the Tudor case in 2018, along with predecessor Lord Carey in 1993.
Mr Cottrell had been due to take over his role temporarily for a few months at the beginning of next year.
NNPThe Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
