Dear Friends

I am writing to you so that you have full, accurate and timely information about serious allegations which have been reported by Channel 4 News on Tuesday 28 January 2025.  The Diocese of Liverpool, The Bishop of Beverley and The Bishop of Liverpool have issued statements in response to the news reports which I have reproduced in full below.

You may be aware that on 28 January Channel 4 News broadcast a story concerning the Bishop of Liverpool. For many people it was difficult to watch and you may be approached by others about it.  The senior staff in the Diocese have issued the Pastoral Letter below following the broadcast. If you are approached by the media then please refer them to Stuart Haynes stuart.haynes@liverpool.anglican.org 07534218122.

Bishop Stephen, The Bishop of Beverley has sent us all a letter in response to the Channel 4 report which you can read after the Pastoral Letter from Diocese of Liverpool below.

A further update received midmorning on Wednesday 29 January is from Bishop John which is reproduced below Bishop Stephen's letter.  The order of the various letters indicates when the letters were received rather their status or the significance of the author.

At the end of Wednesday 29 January, senior staff in the Diocese issued a statement about their communion with the Archbishop of York.  You can read the statement below.

On Thursday 30 January the Bishop of Liverpool announced his retirement from active ministry in the Church of England.  Bishop John's statement can be read in the communication thread below.

Reacting to the Bishop's retirement statement both the Archbishop of York and the Diocese of Liverpool issues a response acknowledging Bishop John's decision.

Latter on Thursday, the Bishop of Warrington issued a long letter to the Diocese of Liverpool explaining her involvement in the case and her feeling about the situation and the people of Liverpool.  You can read all these statements in full below.

If you have any concerns or wish to talk about any matters then please speak to me.

Yours in Christ

Fr Andrew

Read the Pastoral Letter on the Diocese of Liverpool website here

A letter from the Bishop of Beverley

09:59 Wednesday 29 January 2025

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I watched the Channel Four News broadcast on 28 January 2025 and learned of the allegations made against the Bishop of Liverpool for the first time.  The report shocked and saddened me. My first thoughts were and remain with the alleged victims and all victims of sexual assault and harassment. Please speak to your parish or diocesan safeguarding officers if you are directly or indirectly impacted by these or other allegations from within the Church, especially if you're holding onto something not yet disclosed.  The diocesan details may be found here: https://liverpoolcofe.org/safeguarding-matters/

You are all in my prayers as you minister the Gospel.

Please pray for all victims of abuse and wisdom in caring for them and one another.

Please pray for a just outcome for all involved in this situation, and all known and unknown victims of abuse.

Yours,

+Stephen Beverley

Bishop John Writes

10:29 Wednesday 29 January 2025

Dear friends in Christ,

I write this email with a heavy heart. I am really sorry that the reporting in Channel 4 News last night caused shock and distress to you all and I was at the centre of all that. I struggle to find words at this time. Thank you for the assurances of prayer and that many of you have sent.

I had issued a personal statement in response to the contents of the news programme:

The allegations set out in this programme are in relation to encounters that took place in public settings, with other people present. I have consistently denied the allegations made against me by both the complainants. I have complied with any investigation from the National Safeguarding Team. The allegations raised in Essex were also investigated by the Police who took no further action.

Whilst I don't believe I have done anything wrong, I have taken seriously the lessons learned through this process addressing how my actions can be perceived by others. I will comply with any investigation deemed necessary. I take safeguarding very seriously and work had to provide proper leadership in this area.

I certainly do not want to go into the details of how I responded to the allegations and my perception of the circumstances. I stand judged before God. However, I humbly want to point out that there were no safeguarding concerns established around me or my ministry after the investigations by the National Safeguarding Team, as the statement from the national church yesterday reaffirmed.

As a broken and vulnerable brother of yours I continue to serve alongside you. I have taken two days off to be away with my wife and daughter and will be back to work on Friday.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop John

The Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath, Bishop of Liverpool

Bishop’s Lodge, Woolton Park, Liverpool L25 6DT       0151 421 0831

Statement from the Diocese of Liverpool

19:00 Wednesday 28 January

Dear all 

Please find below a statement from the leadership of the Diocese and Cathedral Today we have written to the Archbishop of York to say

Having listened to clergy, congregations and staff at the diocesan offices and the cathedral it is with deep regret that the senior leadership of the Diocese of Liverpool feel that the position of the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath is currently untenable. We believe that the allegations made by the female bishop need to be fully and properly investigated. We also believe that while these proper investigations are conducted the Bishop of Liverpool will need to step aside from all ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool.

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

Bishop John announces retirement from active ministry

11:45 Thursday 30 January 2025

For immediate release

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 have 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.

Statement from the Archbishop of York following the Resignation of the Bishop of Liverpool

12:30 Thursday 30 January 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

Statement on the Retirement of the Bishop of Liverpool

12:50  Thursday 30 January 2025

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

We take all reports and allegations seriously and if you, or anyone you are in contact with, are affected by this and want to talk to someone independently please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or email safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk. There are other support services available.

You could also contact the diocesan safeguarding advisor at safeguarding@liverpool.anglican.org  

For more information about safeguarding in the Diocese of Liverpool go to liverpoolcofe.org/safeguarding-matters/ 

A Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Liverpool from Bishop Bev

15:10 Thursday 30 January 2025

My dear sisters and brothers

Many of you will be aware of the Channel 4 investigation which has now led to the retirement of the Bishop of Liverpool. Whilst the report did not name the bishop as myself, I can now confirm to you that I am the second complainant.

In March 2023, when, as your acting diocesan bishop, I was advised of a complaint raised against the Bishop of Liverpool and a subsequent investigation by the National Safeguarding Team, I raised what I believe were significant concerns, which included my own disclosure. The focus of my concerns centred around due process. Throughout these past 510 days I have remained consistent and persistent in my pursuit of proper and appropriate ecclesiastical judicial process. A bishop cannot be above the law. A bishop cannot be dealt differently from a priest. If anything, a bishop must be held to greater scrutiny. This is a biblical imperative.

I do not hold to the media serving as prosecutor, jury and judge. For these reasons, I have with intention distanced myself from the recent media activity. However, I regret we as a church have not properly and satisfactorily addressed concerns that have been raised. My prayer is that now things have been brought into the light, there will be no more defendedness but an honest scrutiny of what we are doing, how we are doing it, where the gaps sit and how we address them. Our aim as an institutional church should be to work together across disciplines and departments to ensure our church is a safe, grace-filled, Christ-centred, flourishing environment/workplace for all.

There are many questions that I have as a result of this very difficult experience. These are now being raised and I trust, will be listened to and engaged with by senior leaders from within the national church. This, I hope and pray, will be a kairos moment for the church – a time of honesty, humility, repentance, unity, hope and blessing – a time when we can tear down the idols that have disoriented us and raise up again the incarnate God, who was crucified, is glorified and who is the Lord of the Church – the Lord of all.

I am only too mindful of the turmoil, shock and bruising that you will be reeling from as a result of these past days and as you have tried to make sense of this and my long and terrible absence. For my part, I am deeply sorry for my absence and silence. It has been excruciating.

I would like you to hear from me that you have remained in my constant prayers and in my care and concern throughout. It has been like looking through an opaque window observing but unable to reach you. I would like you to be reaffirmed in your identity: Liverpool is unique, beautiful, colourful and precious.

Through these past 510 days, I have been so proud of the work and ministry you have remained committed to, seeking faithfully to serve the Lord, to sing his praises and daring to try new initiatives for the sake of the Gospel. I have shared your gratitude for the friendship

and inspirational leadership of colleagues who have served this diocese so faithfully and sacrificially. I have shared the joys and losses involved in pastoral ministry in Liverpool.

I want you to know how much I admire and respect the ministry of clergy and laity, alongside our ecumenical and interfaith partners – so evident at the time of and since the Southport tragedies. And for the outstanding leadership of the Dean, the archdeacons, the chairs of House of Laity and Clergy and significant others. As a bishop and pastor, I thank you and I thank God for you.

I regret at this time I am unable to advise you of what the future holds for me. This will become clearer in the days ahead. What I know is God’s will be done.

I am also confident that considered excellent support will now be put in place for you. Please be confident that the eye of the Lord is upon you and his love surrounds you. Stay under his blessing. Please hold to the unity and in all things may the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shine through you.

Goodness and truth will always prevail ... and light shines into darkness for which we must not be afraid.

Throughout these past 510, a song that has given expression to my prayer and worship has been ‘The Goodness of God’. I hope it may be a source of comfort and blessing for you – maybe one day, we might sing it together.

Pray for Bishop John. Pray for each other and those with particular leadership responsibilities and please continue to pray for me.

With my love and constant prayer for you.

Bishop Beverley A Mason The Bishop of Warrington