Bishop of Liverpool Resigns Amid Sexual Assault and Harassment Allegations

The Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, has announced his retirement, just days after being accused of sexual assault and harassment, CNN reports.

The resignation comes amid a growing number of scandals involving the Church of England and its handling of sexual abuse allegations.

Channel 4 News reported on Tuesday that Perumbalath was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and harassing another bishop. While Perumbalath has denied the allegations, senior leadership within the Diocese of Liverpool deemed his position “untenable,” and urged him to “step aside from all ministry” while investigations take place.

“Since those allegations were made I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so,” Perumbalath said in his resignation letter.

He added that he did not want the situation to become a distraction for the diocese, emphasizing that his resignation was “not occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability.”

The leadership of the Diocese of Liverpool released a statement on Thursday calling Perumbalath’s resignation “a step for the good” of the diocese.

The Church of England has been facing a series of sexual abuse scandals in recent months. In November, Justin Welby resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury, the traditional leader of the Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States, due to his handling of a child abuse case.

Following Welby’s resignation, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York has taken over as the temporary leader of the Church of England. He will remain in charge until a new Archbishop of Canterbury is appointed, a process that is expected to take several months. Cottrell himself has recently faced calls to resign over his handling of a separate sexual abuse case.

Cottrell released a statement on Thursday acknowledging Perumbalath’s resignation, writing that his “thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation.”