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?
“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 »
“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 »
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.
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.
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 »
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.