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A senior Anglican bishop has announced he is quitting his post amid sexual misconduct claims, plunging the Church of England into fresh turmoil.
John Perumbalath, the bishop of Liverpool, bowed to pressure after his senior leadership team called on him to step aside after allegations of sexual assault and harassment surfaced.
The C of E’s lead bishop on safeguarding, Joanne Grenfell, had also called for Perumbalath to step back from ministry to allow an investigation to take place.
In a statement, Perumbalath said he was retiring, 12 years before the church’s compulsory retirement age of 70 for bishops. He is stepping back from ministry immediately.
He said: “Having sought the permission of his majesty the king, I have today taken the decision to retire from active ministry in the Church of England.”
Since allegations of inappropriate behaviour were disclosed earlier this week, “I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so”, he added.
The allegations, made in 2023, had been investigated by the C of E’s national safeguarding team, who found them unsubstantiated, Perumbalath said. One of the allegations was also investigated by the police, resulting in no further action.
“Despite this, media reports have treated me as guilty on all charges and treated these allegations as fact,” he said.
The “rush to judgment and my trial by media (be that social or broadcast) has made my position untenable due to the impact it will have on the diocese of Liverpool and the wider church whilst we await further reviews and next steps”.
He added: “This is not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability. Rather it has become clear that stepping back from my ministry and waiting for the completion of further reviews would mean a long period of uncertainty for the diocese and all those who serve it.”
Perumbalath’s departure comes less than three months after Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, was forced to resign over his response to a separate abuse scandal.
Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York and the current de facto leader of the church, has also faced calls to quit over his handling of a priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case.
Cottrell said in a statement: “I respect [Perumbalath’s] decision and thank him for his ministry … I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition.”
The church’s ruling body, the General Synod, is expected to consider how the C of E can rebuild trust and recover credibility when it meets next month for a five-day session. The meeting is likely to be dominated by issues relating to abuse, safeguarding and the C of E’s failures to take swift and effective action.
Two separate allegations have been made against Perumbalath. One woman accused him of kissing her without consent and groping her, and a female bishop accused him of sexual harassment. Both incidents allegedly took place in Essex in 2023, the same year that Perumbalath became bishop of Liverpool.
After Channel 4 News disclosed the allegations, Perumbalath said he did not believe there had been any wrongdoing but he had “taken seriously the lessons learnt”.
The Church of England said a complaint of alleged misconduct had been brought against the bishop in 2023, after Perumbalath formally and legally assumed the role.
A spokesperson said the NST had concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring a complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM). They also said the complaint had been investigated by police, who took no further action, and that support had been offered to the woman.
Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Newcastle, who has led calls for action over safeguarding failures, said on Wednesday that she was “shocked and appalled” at the allegations against Perumbalath.
“Yet again failures at the heart of the institution of the Church of England, and specifically by its leadership, undermine credibility and confidence in the church,” she posted on X.
