Calls for Archbishop of York to resign over Church failings in sex abuse case

At least seven women say they were abused by Tudor. One received six-figure compensation from the Church in 2019 and others are bringing civil claims.

Tudor worked for the Church of England for over 46 years, in London, Surrey and Essex, rising from curate to honorary canon. He gained a reputation for filling churches with his charismatic preaching.

He was an area dean on Canvey Island in Essex in 2010, when Stephen Cottrell became Bishop of Chelmsford - a position Mr Cottrell held for 10 years before becoming Archbishop of York.

During his first week in office, Mr Cottrell was fully briefed on the "longstanding safeguarding concerns" raised about Tudor, a spokesperson for the Archbishop said.

Mr Cottrell would have been told:

David Tudor's elevation to honorary canon is something Stephen Cottrell "regrets", says his office, but it was "not a promotion and not a personal reward".

"It happened because of a change in Church policy during the bishop's time in office, meaning area deans were automatically made honorary canons."

But that is "ludicrous" says Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley and "simply not good enough".

"You are absolutely uplifting somebody's ministry as an example and a model of good and best practice, and you're celebrating that actually by making them an honorary canon."

Rt Rev Hartley has been a lone voice in the upper echelons of the Church of England, criticising the institution's failure to deal with abuse and to listen to victims. Last month, she became the only senior serving cleric to call for Justin Welby to step down.

Now, she says, Stephen Cottrell should follow.

The Tudor case also came across the desk of the current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in 2018, when Rev Jenny Penn wrote to his office questioning why the priest was still in post.

She had been a member of a "core group" of Church safeguarding advisers, and national and local clergy, asked to look into Tudor because another of his alleged victims involved in the 1988 trials had issued a claim for compensation - this time from the Church, rather than Tudor personally.

The woman would later win a six-figure Church payout and an apology.

Archbishop Welby had recently told all clergy that it wasn't enough to say sorry about past abuse - and that they should "take action that demonstrates clearly that we have learnt the lessons".

In her letter to him, Rev Penn said she was "struggling with the disconnect between the words and the practice".