The Archbishop of York is under pressure to step down over his handling of child abuse cases in the Church of England.
The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell faced calls to resign on Sunday from a survivor who said he is perpetuating a Church “cover-up” and a former abuse inquiry leader whose investigation was prematurely disbanded by the archbishops last year.
Rev Matthew Ineson, 56, a retired vicar who was abused at 16 by a Bradford priest, said the Archbishop of York failed to hold clergy accountable for mishandling his case.
He said: “Until there is a complete clean sweep at the top, nothing is going to change.”
The demands follow the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, last week, who was forced to quit over his failure to act on concerns over child abuse committed by evangelical Christian John Smyth.
Matthew Ineson, abused at 16 by Bradford priest, has complained of the Archbishop of York’s ‘failings’ – Jay Williams
Rev Ineson, who has waived his anonymity, was raped as a child in the 1980s by Rev Trevor Devamanikkam.
His abuser died by suicide in 2017 before facing court on six sexual offence charges, but an independent Church report later confirmed the abuse occurred.
This review also criticised senior clergy, including Lord Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, for failing to contact the police when Rev Ineson disclosed his abuse to them in 2013.
Rev Ineson stated that in 2021, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell visited him at his home and apologised on behalf of the Church for the abuse he endured and the actions of senior clergy.
He said the Archbishop of York had called his predecessor Lord Sentamu “out of order” and said he “fully supported” the Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley’s decision to suspend him.
Last week, Bishop Hartley, the only bishop to have called for the archbishop’s resignation, shared a letter on X from both archbishops which expressed a desire for Lord Sentamu to “resume his ministry”.
Rev Ineson said: “He supported Bishop Helen-Ann in suspending Sentamu, and now he writes a letter going, we want to bring Sentamu back into the fold in that really coercive and bullying letter to her… They are just covering up for each other all the time.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, who stepped down last week – Richard Heathcote/Getty
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera also backed survivors’ calls for the second most powerful figure in the Church of England to resign.
She accused Archbishop Cottrell of “ignoring” 11 separate safeguarding complaints, some involving leading figures in the Church, including bishops.
Dame Jasvinder was one of three chairmen on an independent safeguarding board (ISB) inquiry into Church abuse.
The archbishops disbanded the inquiry last year, leaving victims suicidal, with four requiring emergency mental health care.
Channel 4 News
Dame Jasvinder said the archbishops’ decision had a “devastating” impact on survivors: “They could have prevented that harm, and they didn’t.”
She claimed the Church has failed to advance the outstanding cases, despite her warning to archbishops some victims might not survive the delay.
“In one email, I said my concern is that some of them might not be alive this time next year because of the suicidal ideation that they were sharing,” she said, adding that, “From my perspective, when you are in such a leadership position, like him, he is complicit in the experiences of further causing harm to victims and survivors.”
Evangelical Christian John Smyth, who committed ‘appalling’ abuse
It comes as the Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Rev Rachel Treweek, said on Sunday anyone thinking of replacing Justin Welby needs “their head reading”.
Bishop Treweek told the BBC that she did not want the “very, very difficult job” and any bishop thinking about it should “look long and hard into the mirror and take some reality checks”.
A spokesman for the Archbishop of York denied that he had “ignored” any victims.
They said he has always taken Church safeguarding “very seriously” and believed it requires independent structures and scrutiny, while remaining everyone’s responsibility.
The spokesman added: “The archbishop deeply regrets the impact on victims following the disbandment of the ISB, which was a decision taken collectively by the Archbishops’ Council. This was due to a breakdown in relations with independent members.”
The spokesman said an independent commissioner was looking into the ISB cases.
They added that the letter about reinstating Lord Sentamu reflected conversations that have taken place with the Bishop of Newcastle since his suspension and is “not about minimising the impact of anything Lord Sentamu previously said”.
A Lambeth Palace spokesman supported and echoed the Archbishop of York’s statement.
Lord Sentamu has been approached for comment.
