By Kaya Burgess, Religious Affairs Correspondent
THE TIMES
February 1, 2025
The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell is facing pressure to step down as the Charity Commission steps in to demand answers from bishops
The Archbishop of York’s comments came as the Charity Commission made an unprecedented intervention in the church’s internal affairs
The Archbishop of York has rejected calls to resign over the Church of England’s abuse crisis, insisting he is “determined to play [his] part in making change happen” after a bishop quit over sexual assault allegations.
His comments came as the Charity Commission made an unprecedented intervention in the church’s internal affairs. The Times understands the watchdog is writing to all bishops demanding to know whether church rules are preventing them from fulfilling their legal duty to protect people from abuse.
The move was dubbed a “wake-up call” by the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, who conceded that the church needs outside help. Cottrell has temporarily assumed most of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s duties after the Right Rev Justin Welby stepped down over his handling of the safeguarding issue.
Cottrell has himself faced calls to quit over how he dealt with abuse allegations. He has faced questions over his role leading up to the appointment in 2022 and resignation last week of the Right Rev John Perumbalath as Bishop of Liverpool.
Perumbalath announced his early retirement over allegations of sexual assault and harassment that were made in 2023. He has strongly denied the claims, noting that a church investigation found “no ongoing safeguarding concerns” and a police inquiry took no further action over the assault complaint.
The Times understands that some members of the Crown Nominations Commission felt Cottrell used his status as an archbishop to pressure fellow commission members into appointing Perumbulath in 2022.
Cottrell said he was “very aware of the power dynamics” of being an archbishop on the committee but said his role as its chairman was “to enable other voices to be heard”.
The Right Rev John Perumbalath resigned as Bishop of Liverpool over allegations of sexual assault and harassment that were made in 2023
He said: “I really do strongly refute the suggestion that anything inappropriate happened.” Cottrell said no allegations of wrongdoing had been made by that point in time and that Perumbalath passed a safeguarding assessment during the recruitment process.
The Charity Commission will ask all bishops if 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”.
It will ask them to respond after a General Synod meeting next week, which will debate policy reforms.
Cottrell said: “That’s a bit of a wake-up call, but … I welcome the scrutiny from the Charity Commission.”
The watchdog has also met Cottrell. “They were very robust,” he said. “And I was personally very clear in the meeting to say, ‘Would you please help us? You’ve got experience from other bodies’. Often, someone from outside sees things you don’t see yourself.”
Asked if he would resign, either now or after the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury, expected this autumn, he conceded that “I have made mistakes” but said: “I’ve had to live with the constraints and inadequacies of our systems.” He said he planned to continue as Archbishop of York until the retirement age of 70 in 2028. Cottrell said of potential reform: “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.
“Because I’ve lived with the constraints, because I have been part of the good changes that have been made and frustrated by the failures to make the changes I wanted to make, and because God has put me into this position as well as the church, then I believe I have an opportunity this year.”
Cottrell and the church became aware of allegations about Perumbalath’s behaviour a month after he legally became Bishop of Liverpool in January 2023 but two months before his enthronement in April. Asked if the enthronement should have gone ahead, Cottrell said there were “serious concerns” but said a safeguarding investigation was completed before the ceremony and found “no ongoing safeguarding concerns”.
Cottrell said he was “really distressed” by leaked reports from within the Crown Nominations Commission, noting: “We are all bound by an oath of confidentiality. So I’m troubled somebody would break that oath.”
Asked if he played a role in asking one of Perumbalath’s accusers, the Bishop of Warrington, the Right Rev Bev Mason, to take a leave of absence, Cottrell said: “Nobody asked or required the Bishop of Warrington, [and] certainly not me … to take some extended sabbatical leave”, adding that she said “what she needed was space”.
He said he supported her effort to bring a complaint outside the usual one-year time limit and had “expected it to be allowed” but that an independent judge ruled it could not be heard.
END
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