The Diocese of Liverpool has published the following:
Statement from the Rt. Revd. Dr. John Perumbalath, Bishop of Liverpool
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.
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. 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. I have taken this decision for my own well-being, my family and the best interests of the Diocese. The exact date when my role will formally end is not yet determined. There are protocols to observe that I will now be attending to.
But I step back from my ministry today. This means I will not be ministering in or leading the diocese with immediate effect. I informed the Archbishop of York of my decision and I understand he will put in place the necessary arrangements for episcopal oversight of the diocese for the remainder of my time here and during the vacancy..
The Diocese also issued the following statement:
Having received the news of the retirement of the Bishop of Liverpool, we acknowledge his decision in taking this step for the good of the Diocese of Liverpool. This is a deeply painful situation, and we hold all concerned in our prayers.
We will be liaising with the Archbishop of York in the coming days to establish interim episcopal oversight for the diocese. We continue working hard to support all those who have been affected by this story; and to support our clergy, congregations and staff as their ministry continues.
Debra Walker, Chair of the House of Laity
Peter Dawkin, Chair of the House of Clergy
Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool
Pete Spiers, Archdeacon of Knowsley & Sefton
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Archdeacon of Liverpool
Simon Fisher, Archdeacon of St Helens and Warrington
The Archbishop of York has issued this
Statement from the Archbishop of York following the Resignation of the Bishop of Liverpool
30/01/2025
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.
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York
The gap between “an event which is criminal in nature and for which the evidence is so strong that the police and CPS decide to proceed with a prosecution” and “an event which causes safeguarding concerns and may be substantial enough as to make someone unsafe to employ in a particular role” is miles wide. What the CofE has done, and what Perumbalath is doing in his statement, is finding that the former isn’t the case, and therefore nothing more can or should be done. The threshold for not employing someone in a leadership role which has a substantial safeguarding… Read more »
Yes that’s “the gap” which matters here. Perumbalath insists he’d “done nothing wrong” and probably believed it. When it was put to Julie Conalty, Suffragan Bishop of Birkenhead on the PM programme this evening that this was simply “lecherous behaviour which is not acceptable these days” she agreed and spoke of conversations with other female clergy who routinely encounter unacceptable levels of misogyny. Is it fanciful to suggest that this is more likely to continue to happen when the Church is falling over itself to accept, and provide “alternative pastoral provision” for, misogynistic theology?
Is Perumbalath an advocate for “misogynistic theology” Maybe in one sense yes.. But in the sense that the term normally means one of those groups who opposed ordination of women or women bishops.. he’s clearly not. (or Wikipedia and it’s sources lie to me) I think it’s not fanciful to believe that those who believe the wrong thing according to me aka no female bishops, may believe the wrong thing on other items (e.g. pro unacceptable behaviour towards women)…. But if I want to construct an argument against either I think it’s much more helpful to consider them distinct and… Read more »
It’s about the culture we have built in the Church. We have allowed it to be acceptable to deny that women can be in positions of leadership – and this goes far beyond opposition to the ordination of women to include tacit acceptance of situations where female licenced lay ministers are not allowed to preach by a vicar holding headship theology. This is not actually allowed under anything we have passed through General Synod. I work with people training for ministry, including ordinands, – quite a few of the newly ordained and recently ordained women speak of encountering cultures of… Read more »
That’s the effect of ‘mutual flourishing’. There has now been nearly 10 years of permission to actively teach that women cannot be in leadership or ordained priest and some parishes and groups very actively do that. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop at issues around leadership but includes some very doubtful ‘theologies’ of sexuality, relationship, power and marriage. This was one of the reasons I opposed creating women bishops in a rush on the basis of what is, in effect, two ‘integrities’ about women’s place in the church. We warned that exactly this would happen. Having female bishops on the basis of… Read more »
Indeed. Bishop Perumbalath is a firm supporter of women priests and bishops and also of LGBTQUIA developments within the C of E …. unless he is about to be revealed as a wicked conservative evangelical/traditional Catholic! The plain fact is that “having the right views” about such matters doesn’t prevent harassment of women and men .I once had a neighbouring colleague of impeccable liberal and “inclusive evangelical “credentials. He sadly for all concerned is now in prison with a lifetime ban.
“I have not done anything wrong.” This sounds like a simple statement but actually it isn’t. Is it OK to continue as a Diocesan Bishop simply because there isn’t enough legal proof of wrong doing? Shouldn’t we expect much more from our senior pastors ? I think we have to be clear that by saying “I have not done anything wrong” John Perumbalath says that that the allegations didn’t happen because if they did happen he very clearly has done something wrong. I think John Perumbalath’s lack of sensitivity, empathy and humility is symptomatic of everything that is wrong with… Read more »
I don’t think a failed marriage constitutes ‘very morally flawed’. Your hyperbole is unfortunate.
It’s not at all right for you to judge someone’s (anyone’s) marriage in the way you repeatedly do regarding the King, David. Being so moralistic is not a good thing: judge not that ye be not judged, after all. Live and let live.
I agree with you that it would be totally wrong to judge “anyone’s” marriage but the King is not “anyone” he is supreme governor of our national church and I believe that the royal connection is at the root of many of the problems that the Church of England now faces. It is wrong to describe Charles’s marriage to Diana as a “failed marriage”. I would never ever condemn two people who love each other, who actually mean their marriage vows and subsequently the marriage goes wrong. But Charles entered this marriage when he loved someone else and as Diana… Read more »
David, you are judging someone (whom I assume you don’t even know personally), it seems rather obsessively. You and I cannot presume to peer into other people’s most personal relationships, whoever they are, and I will say, as a priest with some experience of hearing how complex people’s marital relations can sometimes be, firmly, that it is a mistake to do that.
Nothing puts me (and I suspect many others) off religion as much as people thinking they are being moral when they are merely moralistic. I think you should re-read the parable of the Pharisee and the publican.
David – Rather than the ‘independent judge’ resigning, what is surely evidenced by this case is the need for all such CDM decisions (in this case, apparently made by the Deputy President of Tribunals, an experienced circuit judge, recently retired) should be made public so that the reasons for the decision (in this case not to grant an extension of time for pursuing the complaint) are transparent. Another case where similar CDM decisions ought to be made public concerns the complaint(s) made in Blackburn diocese against Canon Andrew Hindley. General Synod members should ensure that the Clergy Conduct Measure and/or… Read more »
There can be very few jobs which the holder can unilaterally stop doing without breach of contract. Since the bishop of Liverpool is not sick and has not been suspended, what else could he do but request permission if he wanted to cease work immediately, and without notice?
It is abundantly clear from my post that my objection is having to ask permission from the King to resign. This is indicative of a dependence on Royalty which I believe to be a negative influence on the Church of England. The bishop should have asked permission from the Archbishop of York. I totally reject the divine right of kings.
I see. Given that the archbishop of York has repeatedly been accused of lying, and his Christmas Day sermon described as hot air by the bishop of Newcastle it is not obvious that the bishops could do better than the king. His Majesty seems to be just about the only church leader to have any significant respect.
“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.” If the NST actively dissuaded one of the women from making a complaint as outlined in a Church Times interview – which later resulted in her subsequent complaint being ruled out of time (!!) – then expertise cannot be ascribed to this body. The NST is as much part of the problem as a rickety hierarchy. It follows the culture and diktat of its paymaster and overseer. And operates with a substantial amount of cognitive… Read more »
Well said Gilo. My experience of the National Safeguarding Team was that it was woeful.
The NST are too much part of the armoury of the Secretariat. There are one or two decent people in the team, but the thing as a whole needs reboot and reorientation after removal from the grip of the Nyeocracy.
Sadly there is little interest in much narrative wisdom. I’ve never had the sense that the NST are that bothered to read the key books and acquaint themselves with the wisdom of say something like House of Survivors.
The two female complainants are in an unsatisfactory position: the evidence doesn’t meet the high threshold for criminal charges set by the CPS and they have been timed out by the CDM system. Bishop Perumbalath has issued a robust denial of their complaints but cannot respond without sacrificing their right to anonymity. It’s a ghastly situation.
A “robust denial” means an attack on the veracity of the first complainant. So his statement has much wider significance than mere self defense.
He describes “experts” in the National Safeguarding Team. He must be the only person in the world who thinks they are “expert”. In the Smyth case, only eight years after the original expose are they actually looking at a disciplinary process. And even then, not reinvestigating anyone, merely relying on the findings of Keith Makin. The Liverpool case and so many others show that CofE and NST processes are not fit for purpose. The CDM is not fit for purpose. This is not making any comment on the Liverpool case, about which I am not qualified to make any comment.… Read more »
Another scandal involving Chelmsford diocese. Not looking good for one of the listed front runners for the Archbishops job. Be good to clear up the accusations about Bishop of Liverpools selection by CNC. Just not enough transparency in the C of E and it makes it so very hard for front line clergy.
I was on that CNC and regard myself bound by the promise of confidentiality that I took. I’m horrified that one of the other 13 members takes a different view. Not only did they purport to break that promise, but what they “revealed” is not a true statement of the Liverpool CNC process. I do not feel able to say anything directly about the CNC. However, I am happy to support+John’s resignation statement in respect of the CNC, namely that he did pass his Safeguarding assessments. I am not aware of any bullying whatsoever and I was there
Having read now about many alleged sex crimes (let’s be blunt about the terminology) involving C of E clergymen, I am bemused about the role of the police in them. Of course it is difficult to find the evidence in such cases, but the police are able to pursue many other allegations where this is so. Is there some hesitation because ‘the church’ is part of the Establishment? Is it because the church has its own discipline system that the police back off? Is it because so much in the Church is regarded as confidential that the police find it… Read more »
Unfortunately the Criminal Justice system is one of the many things which have become hollowed out through lack of money over the last 15 years . Not only ( rightly) is the evidential bar for prosecution a high one, but it also has to be in the public interest to prosecute. Assuming that the first complainant is telling the truth ( and I am not remotely suggesting she isn’t) would it be in the public interest to prosecute? Or even in her interest given how hard a time is given to victims if their abuser not only denies the incident… Read more »
I don’t think I would describe myself as naive in these matters, and I am certainly not laying all responsibility at the door the police and prosecuting authorities. However, there is surely something amiss when hardly any prosecutions are raised against CofE clergy. It was suggested elsewhere that the activites of John Smyth had been reported to the police and found wanting. A police officer at the time, now retired, has stated that this was in fact not the case, but the matter was not pursued. I accept your point about the difficulties in such cases, but these are also… Read more »
The stability the C of E needs is for the Archbishop of York to resign so that a successor can be found who believes in the Nolan committee’s standards in public life and whose actions and inactions do not continue to bring the Church into disrepute.
Watching the attempted demolition of senior clergy by their colleagues and others seems akin to watching the candidates on The Apprentice attempt to destroy each others credibility whilst protesting how much they love them .
Deeply and depressingly uninspiring.
Sometimes seems to smack of schadenfreude to me.
If they defend each other it’s called a cover-up or keeping the party line. If they call for someone to go it’s called hypocrisy and gamesmanship. It seems they can’t win!
If you think about it, this situation has been a no- winners game for everyone involved – and not even any kind of honourable no-score draw. It hasn’t even got near the Greek Tragedy homeopathic purge theory, ‘and calm of mind all passion spent’. One diocesan bishop ‘retired’ in bitterness seeing himself the victim of a trial by media ( or even a lynch mob?) Cost – financial to himself and the C of E ??? Huge To his family- incalculable To his victims – the same .The ‘serving ‘ female bishop has not been able to serve for over… Read more »
Thank you, Bryan. You describe my own past, devastating experience.
You also describe something that sometimes turns my stomach when I dare to venture into TA.
And that’s true in many other walks of life as well as the Church.
Yes, I take your point. I also agree that safeguarding is of the utmost importance. Recent history, Smyth, Ball and other demonstrate the wickedness of covering up, however there are other cases where there is a flavour of witch hunting and perhaps even the enjoyment and narcotic of power as leaders are pulled into the mire. We must ,I think, differentiate between abuse and hurt feelings. Both matter but in different ways. Bad manners are not always criminal and not always with malicious intent. Stamping hard on abuse is vital. Any hint of revenge for ‘hurt feelings’ is, I would… Read more »
One of the complainants alleges criminal sexual assault by Perumbalath, for which he was interviewed by police under caution. This is much more serious than hurt feelings.
Perhaps the word ‘alleges’ needs to be weighed rather carefully.
‘Alleges’ is in itself a careful word.
Allegations may lead to interview under caution but that does not imply guilt….especially when the police take no further action.
Allegations, dare I say it, can at times be malicious in themselves.
The point I was making was that one at least of the allegations was much more serious than ‘hurt feelings’. I did not assume guilt, which is why I used the word ‘alleged’. Yes, allegations can be, very occasionally, malicious or mistaken. I’ve been told by an abuse lawyer that about 5% of allegations of abuse are untrue, for whatever motivation. On the other hand, the police decide not to proceed with the majority of cases, even where there is some evidence. Bev Mason has said she made her own allegation in order to support the first woman’s more serious… Read more »
I would add that the term ‘sexual harassment’ covers a wide range of behaviours, some verging on criminal sexual assault. And the impact of such behaviours ranges from hurt feelings to financial loss and job insecurity, to real psychological damage.
That, even I, a mere man, fully understand.
Is that not a reason to specify clearly what may be sexual assault? kissing on lips, and touching breasts, may be considered criminal sexual assault, and certainly should be specified as inappropriate under the relevant codes of conduct.
Societal norms do change over the years. My best friend’s mother used to make a habit of pinching bottoms at his parties after a few drinks, we didn;t welcome it but were hardly about to go to the police. In many societies, kissing on cheeks is not acceptable, or even touching about the elbow.
I think the law does clearly specify what sexual assault is. As I understand it, the definition includes the specification that the alleged assault was committed for the accused’s ‘own sexual gratification’.
The difficulty is proving the assault in court, as there are usually no witnesses, or any witnesses may not wish to give evidence.
Safeguarding and professional misconduct charges have a much lower evidential bar.
Exactly. These things need to be described better for professional misconduct or clergy codes of conduct.
Surely it’s enough to use the legal definitions of sexual assault and sexual harassment? The ones that are used in criminal trials and civil tribunals? I don’t see a need for C of E personnel to spend days or weeks thinking of every possible thing one person can do to another, in order to draw up a code of conduct.
But perhaps that’s not what you’re suggesting?
No, maybe I should explain more, with other examples. Should a priest spend the night alone with an under 18 yr old in a hotel room? Or in a car going to some event? Should a priest give a naked massage to anybody alone, without having a relationship with them? Should a priest give ‘playful’ consensual beatings with a slipper on the bare backside of a member of their congregation, with whom they are not in a relationship? Should a priest touch an under 18 year old without another adult being present and without the permission of the child? Should… Read more »
Some of your examples may be sexual or physical assault, depending on the circumstances.
Professions such as medicine, teaching, and the law will have codes of conduct the C of E can draw on. Churches of other denominations or other countries may have, too. But I doubt if any code of conduct can cover every situation that may possibly arise. Sometimes judges, courts, and tribunals have to investigate particular behaviours and circumstances, weigh up all the factors, and come to a decision whether a crime has been committed, or there has been professional misconduct.
See the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for exact details. There is no need for the church to legislate or define any specific examples of assault.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/contents
Yes there absolutely is a need. Criminal sexual assault and contravention of codes of conduct are two entirely different things, as has been stated by many others on TA.
There are many ways in which clergy may contravene codes of conduct, yet the offence is not sufficient for criminal prosecution.
Yet there still needs to be an investigation and appropriate action.
That is the whole point.
These have already been linked on another thread:
https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/clergy-resources/guidelines-professional-conduct-clergy/guidelines
You asked for a definition of ‘sexual assault’. Section 3 of the 2003 Act contains one which would encompass all of the situations which you described as needing specific reference.
Agreed. It’s an area much better left to the experts.
Which, criminal cases or violation of codes of conduct or both?
Experts are already of course, dealing with criminal cases.
See my reply above.
Will this case encourage those who have been sexually harassed by senior colleagues to come forward?
I have never been arrested or investigated by the police in any jurisdiction. But I would be the last to say I was sinless and of perfect repute, in any area of my life. I have certainly acted inappropriately at times, by word or deed. Have we forgotten the teachings of original sin? A friend of mine goes through security checks every now and then, because of his work in defense. He undergoes detailed questions about his personal life. The general rule is to be honest – if they find out you lied, you are out. So, you have to… Read more »
‘To err is human; to forgive divine’…..Shakespeare, not holy writ.. but on the button?
Or was it Einstein?
Or Mahatma Gandhi?
We are both wrong. It was Alexander Pope….still very good !!
Security vetting in the defence world is thorough, but as a naval aviator craziness was assumed & I did not find it intrusive. I may say that the process was a requirement before you had access to anything remotely secret, so it was a standing joke that all the traitors had passed with flying colours!
Martine Oborne has been typically outspoken on the Liverpool saga, but it is interesting that the senior female clergy interviewed by #4 so obviously felt the need to be very careful in what they said.
I think what I was wondering is whether trained people interview potential bishops or senior clergy (or indeed clergy). It takes a certain skill, which the average person (or bishop) is not equipped with. Too much boy’s network? I haven’t myself undergone high level security clearance, but I can imagine if I was being interviewed it would be a case of ‘how long have you got?’. I have read elsewhere a comment that the public school culture of conservative evangelicals assumes a certain decency in everyone, and it can lead to naivety. Coming from the same public school as Blunt,… Read more »
More to the point is for over 80 years the Admiralty Interview Board has included a psychiatrist, and according to a former president of the board that ensures that about a third of potential candidates are rejected outright. The CofE is only slowly coming around to accepting that secular professional assessment of this kind might be a good idea.
I thank those who organise and moderate TA for making available the archive of TA material. I note that for October 2022, which contains the notice of appointment of the now retiring Bishop of Liverpool and a number of ‘Comments’ welcoming him and his ‘warmth’.
Recent revelations seem to cast appearances and observations in a greater light, and causes me to wonder about our qualities of insightful perception and abilities to share concerns, doubts, within and before processes of ‘discernment’/ selection and recruitment, as well as reporting regarding safeguarding, conduct and behaviours.
We should be very grateful as a Church for the way in which Cathy Newman is pursuing the truth .Her courage, diligence and honesty are truly impressive and contrast sharply with those Bishops who would have preferred for all this to have remained hidden.
A long post from Bishop John has just popped up on my Facebook feed. He has moved to their one bedroom flat in west London. He will receive three months’ stipend but no other financial settlement.
Do you happen to have a copy of this Facebook post? It has been taken down now, but the police are interested to see it.
Thank you to those who have provided me with a copy of former Bishop John’s Facebook post. I’m grateful for your practical help.
“The recently retired Bishop of Liverpool, Bishop Paul Bayes, described Dr Perumbalath on Twitter as “pastorally warm, committed to the just reign of God, close to Christ, Spirit-filled, full of faith, unafraid”. Church Times, Oct 2022.
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/21-october/news/uk/new-bishop-for-liverpool-comes-from-north-india-via-kent-and-essex
Maybe Paul Bayes could explain what trait he had observed at the time, and now in hindsight.
Hindsight is a gift bestowed on just one.
It would be good if bishop Geoff Pearson, former bishop of Lancaster came out of retirement to lead the diocese during interregnum. Bishop Geoff loves Liverpool and he’s a scouser himself.