Archbishop of York rejects bullying allegations

The Archbishop of York has rejected claims he bullied members of a committee to secure the appointment of the Bishop of Liverpool who has since resigned over sexual assault allegations.

On Thursday, Channel 4 news shared an account from someone on the committee which met in 2022 to discuss the Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath's appointment.

The account claims Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft coerced members to change their vote despite safeguarding concerns about Bishop Perumbalath.

However, in a statement they said they "categorically reject any suggestion of coercion or bullying during a Crown Nominations Commission (CNC)".

It comes after Bishop Perumbalath resigned on Thursday following sexual assault and harassment allegations against him in a Channel 4 News investigation.

He said his resignation was to avoid the issue being "a distraction", but without any admission of fault or liability.

The Bishop of Warrington, the Right Reverend Bev Mason, has since identified herself as one of two women who accused him of sexual misconduct and the Church of England of "not properly and satisfactorily" addressing concerns about him.

In a statement relating to Bishop of Liverpool's selection process, the archbishop - who has faced his own calls to resign over separate alleged safeguarding failures - said: "The CNC's ballot process ensures that no-one knows how others voted, specifically to prevent coercion or undue influence."

It added an individual's competence in overseeing safeguarding is given "careful scrutiny" as part of the commission's discernment.

It said: "Like all other candidates for this role, Bishop John Perumbalath was interviewed by the national safeguarding team who found no concerns about his operational safeguarding experience and recommended some development work for him as he took on additional strategic safeguarding responsibilities - which is commonly the case for new diocesan bishops."

Bishop Croft said he was not aware of any safeguarding concerns about Bishop Perumbalath before the CNC meeting.

"I am very sorry to learn of the distress of those who have made the allegations against Bishop John Perumbalath," he said.

"However, I refute completely the suggestion that anyone coerced or bullied other members of the Crown Nominations Committee (CNC) during the process to appoint the Bishop of Liverpool in 2022."

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