Mr Cottrell, the second most senior bishop in the Church of England, over his handling of the case of David Tudor, who was expelled as a life minister this year after admitting what the church called serious sexual abuse of two young girls. He is facing calls for his resignation. 15 and 16 years old.
Decades ago, Mr. Tudor was suspended from public office for five years after he admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met in 1988 when he was a student at the school where he was a minister, according to court documents. Ta.
But then, in 1994, I was able to return to church ministry.
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The archbishop said he had “acted immediately” within his powers in the matter and that it would have been “impossible” to remove the priest until new charges were filed in 2019.
Mr Cottrell said he had been briefed on the “horrible and intolerable” circumstances he faced when he became Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010.
In a statement following the BBC's investigative report on Monday, he said:
“It is extremely unfortunate that this case is being reported as if the abuser was being ignored or protected.
“The truth is, nothing could be further from the truth, and presenting it this way only re-traumatizes those who have already been hurt.
“David Tudor's situation is an awful situation to live with and deal with, and many people are suffering as a result.
“I want victims and survivors to know that everything has been done to understand, assess and manage the risks and I fully welcome the outcome of the tribunal in October 2024. I want you to know what I'm doing.”
He said there was “no legal basis” to suspend Tudor before 2019 and that he had been working with Chelmsford diocese's safeguarding team since 2010 “to ensure risks were managed”. .
He acknowledged the courage of victims who “bravely came forward and shared their stories from the 1980s” and survivors who “bravely spoke to police” about new charges in 2019.
But one bishop said it was “impossible” for Mr Cottrell to remain as Archbishop of York or lead the Church of England.
Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley of Newcastle said the Tudor incident “calls into question his (Stephen Cottrell's) ability to lead the urgent changes needed to keep the church safe, both operationally and culturally.” ” he said.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said that if she were in Mr Cottrell's position in 2010, she would have “had a good discussion in the room with safe advice on how to find a way to deal with this situation”. I think it was,” he said. .
she said: “This person should not be in public office. You have options. You keep people safe. You think about survivors.
“The risk for the bishop could have been that he could be sued for some kind of constructive or wrongful removal, but it's certainly the risk to take because it's the morally and ethically right thing to do to keep people safe.” Is it worth it?”
A woman who claimed Mr Tudor sexually abused her when she was a child and was paid compensation told the BBC that Mr Cottrell's failure to take action when informed of the payment was “an act against the church”. He said it meant “to leave.”
Mr Cottrell appeared to reject calls to resign over the incident, vowing to “do everything possible” to bring about independent oversight of the church's security.
He said: “The Church of England is currently giving voice to those who have legitimate grievances and concerns and is putting safeguards in place to help those of us who are responsible for managing these situations avoid and resolve them. We need independent scrutiny of this.”
“I have publicly supported this for many years, and I pledge to do everything I can to achieve it.”
Mr Cottrell will temporarily take over many of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury's duties from January 6, when Justin Welby resigns over his failure to handle another sexual abuse scandal within the church. be.
Mr Welby announced last month that he would resign after initially declining to resign following the Makin report, which concluded that John Smith, the church's most prolific serial abuser, may have been brought to justice. . The incident was officially reported to the police in 2013.
After it was confirmed earlier this month that Mr Welby would not give his customary Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, it was expected that Mr Cottrell's sermon would take center stage on December 25 instead.
