I’m outraged Church of England leader called my abuser a ‘Rolls Royce’ priest | Global News Avenue

A woman who says she was sexually abused by a priest as a child has said it was “absolutely outrageous” and her alleged abuser has since been praised by the current leader of the Church of England.

Kate (not her real name) has reacted to evidence that the current Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, “regularly” looked to David Tudor as “a model for diocesan ministry”.

The BBC also understands that at a service in 2018, Mr Cottrell referred to Tudor as a “Rolls-Royce vicar” despite knowing the vicar had paid large sums of money to victims of alleged abuse. and was forbidden by the church to be alone with children.

In response, Cottrell said he “regrets any upset or distress caused by his previous comments.”

Following a recent BBC investigation, Mr Cottrell admitted he was aware of serious concerns about Tudor when he became bishop of Chelmsford in 2010, but said he could not legally remove Tudor Dynasty, and described the “terrible situations” he faces every day.

Tudor was banned from the Anglican Church for life in October after admitting historical sexual abuse allegations relating to two girls. He has not yet responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

Kate contacted the BBC last month after hearing the news our investigation She said the same disgraced priest abused her.

She was a pupil at the Surrey school where David Tudor was chaplain in the 1980s, which is when she said the abuse occurred. She said it happened about ten times, including oral sex.

In 1988, Tudor went on trial for molesting Kate starting at the age of 15. The priest denied the accusations but admitted he had sex with Kate when she was 16.

At that trial, the then Bishop of Croydon, Wilfred Wood, appeared as a character witness for Tudor, describing him as having “excellent integrity”, according to media reports. David Tudor was acquitted.

“Not a single church member wanted to help or support me,” Kate said. “No one asked me how I was doing. In fact, quite the opposite.”

She and her family received copies of hate mail from church members telling them to “rot in hell” and said it resulted in them having to move to other parts of the country.

But a month after the trial, Tudor was back in court, this time convicted of indecent assault on three other schoolgirls and jailed for six months.

No one told any of the girls or Kate, and although he served the full sentence, the conviction was later quashed on a technicality because the judge misled the jury.

An internal church tribunal later banned Tudor from serving as a priest for sexual misconduct, in part because he admitted having sex with Kate when she was 16.

Kate was unaware of the entire process and was never invited by the church to give her own account of the events. Nonetheless, she spent more than thirty years believing that the Tudors were being punished by the church.

“I figured right, job done. He would never work for the church again because that man should not be around young people. That’s how I left this story and moved on with the rest of my life.”

It was not until July 2023 that she learned through an internet search that Tudor was once again a priest and was currently in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The news deeply disturbed her, and she began searching for answers on how he could return to ministry.

“I can’t tell you how excruciating it has been trying to get answers from them since July 2023,” she said, adding that she felt it was “like talking to a stone wall.”

She said the church was “actually not very helpful” but when she learned Stephen Cottrell had been Bishop of Chelmsford since 2010, she contacted him to ask for clarification. this matter. Mr Cottrell twice declined requests for a meeting.

Kate was told it would be inappropriate “because proceedings are ongoing”. This is thought to be a reference to the church misconduct case against David Tudor, which runs until the end of 2024. But Kate said, “It felt like he didn’t believe me.”

Kate then contacted David Greenwood, a solicitor who specializes in abuse cases, who advised her to make a formal complaint of misconduct under the church’s disciplinary system.

In February last year, Kate made three complaints: against Mr Cottrell, David Tudor and Bishop Wilfred Wood, who served as Tudor’s character witness at the trial.

Soon after, the church told her that a court hearing would be held on her complaint against David Tudor. Among the replies sent to her was a letter from Tudor’s wife Sandra.

It says, “When Archbishop Stephen Cottrell was Bishop of Chelmsford, he often looked to the Diocese of Canvey Island as a model for church development and diocesan ministry.”

The archbishop’s office said it would be inappropriate to comment as the matter is subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Sandra Tudor did not respond to the BBC’s questions.

Due to what the church described as “serious administrative errors”, Kate did not receive confirmation of her two other complaints (against Stephen Cottrell and Wilfred Wood) until the day of the BBC investigation in December.

Many of her questions were subsequently answered, but only because of the BBC’s coverage.

Kate learned in 1989 that Tudor watches had only been banned for five years. George Carey, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, allowed him to return, and Carey later resigned as a Church of England minister. BBC investigation reveals his role.

Nor did she know that under Stephen Cottrell the Tudors Twice reappointed to senior positions and was appointed Honorary Canon of Chelmsford Cathedral.

Mr Cottrell is now Archbishop of York and the de facto leader of the church, following the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over his role. Dealing with another abuse case.

Mr Cottrell insisted he had done everything he could to manage the risks posed by David Tudor and suspended him with immediate effect where the law allowed.

The suspension began in 2019 when police launched a new investigation into Tudor, who was then an honorary canon and district dean of Chelmsford Cathedral.

in a Personal statement from last monthMr Cottrell said the situation he faced was “horrendous and intolerable”.

His office also told the BBC that “Stephen Cottrell faced an unpleasant situation every day during his tenure as Bishop of Chelmsford until he was able to take action.”

But others from Canvey Island told the BBC they had seen evidence of Stephen Cottrell’s public support for the vicar years ago who we now know was aware of Tudor’s abusive past.

One man, who asked not to be named, said he was one of about 60 people at a confirmation ceremony at St Nicholas Church on Canvey Island in January 2018, where Mr Cottrell spoke alongside Tudor.

“As Bishop of Chelmsford he was invited to officiate at the ceremony and had nothing but praise for David Tudor, including saying we were lucky to have David Tudor as our vicar as he was a ‘Lao Reverend Slys’, he was so much more than many others,” he said.

“Many of us were surprised by what Stephen Cottrell said, and it’s something that’s stuck in my mind, especially now, with what’s going on.”

The BBC has independently received similar testimony from a second person about the service.

When asked about the use of the term “Rolls-Royce Reverend” to describe David Tudor at a 2018 ceremony, Mr Cottrell’s office responded that “the Archbishop is concerned about any discomfort or distress caused by his previous remarks” “We deeply regret the comments, including those that did not concern David Tudor personally.” “

Kate is shocked by Mr. Cottrell’s remarks. She believed he should not become a “puppet of the church” and must be held accountable for his “horrible decisions.”

Likewise, she wants the former Bishop of Croydon, Wilfred Wood, to be sanctioned.

Last year she received a letter from the Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun, saying he regretted Bishop Wood’s role as a character witness during the 1988 trial.

Mr Wood admitted to the BBC that he gave evidence at the trial involving Kate, but said he had no recollection of the second trial involving three other girls besides one. “I doubt I would have given such a glowing reference if I had known that was the case,” he said.

Cottrell said he was “shocked by David Tudor’s abusive behavior and the lifelong pain it caused his victims”.

“I have always expressed my willingness to meet with survivors and will continue to do so. I am extremely grateful to all survivors and victims who have come forward to share their experiences in relation to David Tudor in the 1980s,” Mr Cottrell explain.

A spokesman for the Anglican Church said: “David Tudor’s abusive behavior was a serious breach of trust and we recognize the courage of those who came forward and are deeply sorry for the devastating impact on their lives.”

Meanwhile, Kate is still looking for answers and wants the church to show more humility.

“Even though I’ve done a good job of forgetting all of this over the past 40 years, the way the church handled the case and the way they treated me … made me have to remember it all again,” she said.