The Archbishop of York, Steven Cottrell, has faced calls to resign over the handling of a sex abuse case by a priest in the Church of England.
Mr Cottrell said he was sorry he was not able to act sooner, but insisted it was not the case of an abuser being protected.
David Tudor was banned from ministry for life this year, after admitting what the Church described as serious sexual abuse involving two girls aged 15 and 16.
Decades earlier, Tudor had been suspended from ministry for five years in 1988.
This followed him admitting, according to a tribunal document, having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met when she was a pupil at a school where he was chaplain.
Despite this, he was able to return to working in the church in 1994.
The archbishop said he “acted immediately” within the authority he had regarding the case, and that it was “not possible” to remove the priest from office until fresh complaints were made against him in 2019.
Mr Cottrell claimed he faced a “horrible and intolerable” situation when he became Bishop of Chelmsford, having been briefed on the situation in 2010.
In a statement following a BBC investigative report on Monday, he said: “I am deeply sorry that we were not able to take action earlier, but that was the situation I inherited.
“It is extremely disappointing that this story is being reported as if it was an abuser being ignored or even protected.
“Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. And to present it this way only re-traumatises already hurt people.
“The situation with David Tudor was an awful situation to live with and to manage and has meant many people suffering as a result.
“I want victims and survivors to know that everything was done to understand, assess and manage the risk. I also want them to know that I fully welcome the outcome of the tribunal in October 2024.”
He said he had worked alongside the Chelmsford diocese safeguarding team from 2010 to ensure the risk was managed, having had no legal grounds to suspend Tudor before 2019.
He also acknowledged the courage and bravery of the victims.
Calls to resign
The Bishop of Newcastle said it’s impossible for Mr Cottrell to both remain Archbishop of York or for him to lead the Church of England.
Helen-Ann Hartley said the Tudor case calls into question Mr Cottrells ability to lead on the urgent change that is required in safeguarding, both operationally and culturally in the Church.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that, had she been in Mr Cottrells position in 2010, she would have handled it differently
“I think I would have had a robust conversation with safeguarding advice in the room about how to find a way in order to deal with this situation. This individual should not be in public ministry. You find the options. You keep people safe. You think of the survivors.
“The risk for the bishop could have been that the bishop would be sued for some kind of constructive or unfair dismissal, but surely that’s a risk worth taking because it’s morally and ethically the right thing to do to keep people safe?”
A woman who was paid compensation by Tudor, over claims he sexually abused her as a child, told the BBC that Mr Cottrell’s failure to act once he became aware of the payment means he should leave the Church.
Appearing to reject calls to resign, Mr Cottrell has pledged to do what he can to bring about independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church.
He stated: “The Church of England now needs independent scrutiny of safeguarding so that those who do have understandable frustrations and concerns can have their voices heard and those of us who have responsibility for managing these situations can be helped to avoid them and resolve them. I have publicly supported this for many years. I pledge myself to do what I can to achieve it.”
When asked whether the Prime Minister believes Mr Cottrell should resign, the official spokesperson said it was a matter for the Church of England rather than the Government.
They added that Sir Keir Starmer’s thoughts remain with the victims in these cases.