Bishop of Liverpool RESIGNS after being accused of sex assault and harassment amid church abuse scandal
THE BISHOP of Liverpool has stepped down after allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
The Rt Rev Dr John Perumbalath confirmed today he will be resigning from his role.
The Bishop of Liverpool said he had been approached by Channel 4 regarding a story "containing allegations of inappropriate behaviour by me against two different women".
But Dr Perumbalath added that his decision was "not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability".
In a statement, 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.
He added: "I do not wish this story to become a distraction for this incredible diocese and its people, whom it has been an honour and joy to serve.
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“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.”
His resignation comes as the Church of England is facing allegations of over various safeguarding failures.
Last month, Justin Welby quit as Archbishop of Canterbury over the handling of a separate case.
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In a statement, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said: "I acknowledge the decision made by the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath to resign from active ministry in the Church of England.
"I respect his decision and thank him for his ministry.
"My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation.
"I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition and will be putting the necessary arrangements in place to provide episcopal oversight for the Diocese.
"An acting Bishop for the Diocese of Liverpool will be announced in the coming days."
Bishop of Liverpool the Rt Rev Dr John Perumbalath's statement in full
In a statement, Dr Perumbalath 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.
"Earlier this week I was approached by Channel 4 News who informed me they would be broadcasting a story containing allegations of inappropriate behaviour by me against two different women.
"Since those allegations were made I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so.
Since the claims were made in 2023 they have been investigated and considered by experts from the National Safeguarding Team and had found them unsubstantiated.
"The first allegation 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.
"Further it has been erroneously reported that prior to my appointment as Bishop of Liverpool I had failed the safeguarding assessment process. This is categorically not true.
"As the Church of England have made clear in their written statements over the past 48 hours responding to these false claims, the National Safeguarding Team found no concerns about my operational safeguarding experience and recommended some development work for me as I took on additional strategic safeguarding responsibilities - which is commonly the case for new diocesan bishops.
"This 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."
