The Church of England is once again under scrutiny as former priest David Tudor faces a second lifetime ban from ministry. This latest action comes after a tribunal found him guilty of sexually abusing a teenager in the 1980s, adding to his previous ban from 2024.
In a recent decision, the Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Southwark confirmed the new allegations against Tudor, leading to the second lifetime prohibition. Tudor’s first ban was imposed after he admitted to sexual abuse accusations brought by two women.
The Diocese of Southwark and the Diocese of Chelmsford have both commented on the updated ban. Although the allegations date back to Tudor’s tenure in Southwark, he later resumed ministry in Chelmsford starting in 1997 after a suspension period.
Attention has also turned to Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who was Bishop of Chelmsford from 2010. Cottrell stated he was in a difficult position as he could not act against Tudor without fresh evidence or complaints. A tribunal recently absolved Cottrell of any wrongdoing but noted that some procedural errors occurred.
Reacting to the tribunal’s decision, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Christopher Chessun, expressed his gratitude to the woman who came forward with the complaint, acknowledging the courage it took to do so. He stated, “It takes extraordinary courage to speak out and bring forward a complaint, and so I am grateful to the woman who shared her experience of David Tudor’s harmful actions, and I apologise unreservedly for the pain and trauma he has caused.”
Echoing these sentiments, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, praised the bravery of the complainant and apologized for the distress caused by Tudor’s actions. She mentioned, “The woman who brought this complaint showed extraordinary courage in doing so. I want to repeat my thanks to her and to all those who have come forward to report David Tudor’s abuse.”
Francis-Dehqani further stated, “We are continuing to support the Independent Reviewers who are undertaking a Safeguarding Practice Review of the David Tudor case, jointly commissioned by the National Safeguarding Team, and the dioceses of Southwark and Chelmsford.”
If you or anyone you are in contact with is affected by this update and would like to talk to someone independently, please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit Safe Spaces Website. Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
