The Church of England faced further turmoil last night after the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell was urged to resign over his handling of abuse cases.
The demand comes after the CofE’s leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, was forced to quit last week over a cover-up in a child abuse scandal.
Archbishop Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior figure, is accused of ‘ignoring’ 11 separate complaints, some involving leading figures in the Church, including bishops.
In a devastating intervention, Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who led an independent body probing abuse in the CofE, said she had repeatedly raised concerns with Archbishop Cottrell, 66, but argued he left victims ‘in the wilderness’. She claims in an interview with The Mail on Sunday that she had a similar response from Mr Welby, 68.
She said: ‘I sat down with both archbishops and poured my heart out, saying we need help. It went unheard – they have chosen to look the other way.
‘The real currency of leadership is transparency and trust. Sadly,
Stephen [Cottrell] has not demonstrated either with survivors.
‘I believe stepping down is the most appropriate thing to do.’
Last week some clerics warned others might need to quit and called for ‘institutional changes’.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior figure, is accused of ‘ignoring’ 11 separate complaints, some involving leading figures in the Church
The Church of England is shrouded in controversy following scandalous revelations over its inability to properly deal with allegations of sexual abuse by members
But father-of-three Archbishop Cottrell tried to draw a line, suggesting Mr Welby’s decision was enough ‘because he has resigned for the institutional failings’.
As head advocate of the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) and with three decades of working with abuse victims, Dame Jasvinder, 59, reviewed cases dismissed by the Church.
She rejected some cases that ‘did not meet our threshold’ – but 12 from the 1980s to the early 2000s were considered strong.
Between January 2022 and June 2023 she said she repeatedly pressed Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell to take action but only one case was reopened.
She said: ‘At every point, when we tried to get them to listen, we were ignored. There are people who are still in place who need to be held to account.
‘There were sexual, physical and emotional allegations as well as bullying, intimidation and many going to the Church for a safeguarding response and being let down. This is about victims and survivors and doing the right thing. These victims are still waiting for closure and compensation.
‘Some of their complaints are against very senior bishops.’
In an email in July she told Archbishop Cottrell and Mr Welby of her fear that some victims were so traumatised they ‘may not survive another year without support’. But she added: ‘Every time we tried to advocate the needs of victims it was not well received. It was appalling.’
One of the 11 alleged victims whose cases were ‘ignored’ told The Mail on Sunday he can no longer live in Britain because of the abuse he suffered in the 1980s as a teenager and now suffers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned early this week after it emerged he failed to report serial abuser John Smyth to authorities in 2013
Justin Welby originally assumed the role of Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013
In 2012 he told the Church of his abuse and asked for help from its National Safeguarding Team.
He said: ‘There are people in the Church who want to destroy us because we embarrass them.
‘It is embarrassing saying I was a teenager and was sexually abused by a bishop. I wanted the ISB to establish truth about what I was saying in order that no one else would have to suffer.
‘I wanted to help stop the cycle of cruelty at the highest levels in the Church, and that was going to come about from independent examination into the facts.
‘The more you put a lid on it, the greater the stink when it is opened.’
In June 2023 Dame Jasvinder was sacked from her role by the Archbishops’ Council, of which Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell were join presidents.
The council said ‘fundamental communication’ issues were at fault but Dame Jasvinder claimed her independence was undermined when the Church appointed its candidate as chair of the ISB.
Despite losing her job, Dame Jasvinder still acts for the alleged abuse sufferers. She also represents alleged sex abuse victims of Mohamed Al-Fayed at Harrods.
A spokeswoman for the Archbishop of York last night denied that he had ‘ignored’ the cases.
She said: ‘The Archbishop has always taken safeguarding very seriously, particularly his commitment to victims and survivors, and he commends Dame Jasvinder’s work in this important area.
‘But it is not true to say that these victims and survivors have been “ignored”.
‘He believes the future of Church safeguarding needs independent structures and scrutiny while ensuring it remains everyone’s responsibility.
‘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.’