This matter was first reported by Donna Birrell on Premier Christian News: Exclusive: Abuse survivor and former staff member say Church treatment pushed them to the brink. Her report is worth reading in full but here’s an excerpt.
The case of Survivor N
Survivor N’s case began more than a decade ago when he first reported accusations of abuse against a priest in the Diocese of London.
Premier has seen evidence that when he filed a complaint against the accused priest, Rt Rev Sarah Mullally as Bishop of London, contravened the Clergy Discipline Measure code of practice by sending a confidential email about the allegations directly to the priest concerned, outside of the CDM process. She also wrote to him that the claims were “unsubstantiated”.
Survivor N says he was then subjected to what he describes as a “systematic campaign of harassment and retribution as a CDM complainant”.
He later filed a formal complaint against Bishop Mullally for her handling of the case. In March 2020, in a letter seen by Premier, the then Bishop at Lambeth acknowledged receipt of the complaint. But 16 months later, when his lawyers requested an update, the same Bishop at Lambeth stated that the complaint had only just been received by Lambeth Palace.
A senior psychiatrist told Premier that during those 16 months, Survivor N’s mental health deteriorated sharply.
To this day, despite repeated requests from his solicitors, Survivor N says he has not received a formal response.
Today, the Church of England has issued two statements:
Lambeth Palace statement:
The provincial registrar for Canterbury has written to an individual – known as ‘N’ – to clarify and outline next steps in relation to a complaint the individual initially submitted in 2020 against the Bishop of London under the Clergy Discipline Measure.
Due to administrative errors and an incorrect assumption about the individual’s wishes, the complaint was not taken forward or appropriately followed up. The Bishop of London was unaware of the matter, as the process never reached the stage at which she would have been informed of the complaint or its contents.
The provincial registrar has apologised to those involved and urgent arrangements are now being made for the complaint to be considered according to the relevant statutory process.
The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, said:
“N has been let down by the processes of the Church of England. While his abuse allegations against a member of clergy were fully dealt with by the Diocese of London, it is clear that a different complaint he subsequently made against me personally in 2020 was not properly dealt with.
“I am seeking assurance that processes have been strengthened to ensure any complaint that comes into Lambeth Palace is responded to in a timely and satisfactory manner.
“The Church’s processes have to change, both for complainants, and for the clergy who are the subject of complaints. Today, I am one of those clergy. As Archbishop of Canterbury, I will do everything in my power to bring about much needed and overdue reform. We must have trust in our systems, or else we cannot expect others to put their trust in us.”
1 CommentThe Prime Minister’s Office has announced that the next Suffragan Bishop of Grimsby in the diocese of Lincoln will be the Ven Jean Burgess, currently Archdeacon of Bournemouth in the Diocese of Winchester. The Lincoln diocesan website has this story.
7 CommentsAppointment of the Suffragan Bishop of Grimsby: 10 December 2025
The King has approved the nomination of the Venerable Jean Ann Burgess, MA, to the Suffragan See of Grimsby, in the Diocese of Lincoln.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 10 December 2025Background
The King has approved the nomination of the Venerable Jean Ann Burgess, MA, Archdeacon of Bournemouth, in the Diocese of Winchester, to the Suffragan See of Grimsby, in the Diocese of Lincoln, in succession to the Right Reverend Dr David Court following his retirement.
Jean was trained for ministry via the East Midlands Ministry Training Course, accredited by Nottingham University.
She served her title at St George and St Mary’s Church, Gresley, in the Diocese of Derby, and was ordained Priest in 2004. Jean served as Interim Minister at St Alkmund’s and St Werburgh’s from 2008 and was appointed Priest-in-Charge in 2013 and incumbent in 2018. Jean served as Archdeacon of Bolton and Archdeacon of Salford, both in the Diocese of Manchester, from 2018.
In 2023, Jean took up her current role as Archdeacon of Bournemouth, in the Diocese of Winchester.
Following the October announcement from the House of Bishops regarding the effective halting of the LLF process and a change of direction from the discussion towards and votes taken for fuller LGBTQ+ inclusion, Inclusive Church wrote an Open Letter and invited those who wished to be included as a signatory to it, to do so. People were asked to provide their name and home postcode, with the option to also add their title, the name of their church and an estimate of the size of their regular church congregation. The letter was available for one month, with no external media coverage, publicity through diocesan channels or paid promotion.
The full text of the letter is copied below the fold.
Inclusive Church has now issued a press release reporting on the nearly 7000 signatures received, which you can read here. (now in PDF format)
And there is a further much more detailed analysis available here.
58 CommentsThe Prime Minister’s Office has announced the appointment of Canon Christopher Palmer as the next Dean of Winchester. The press release is copied below. There is more information on the cathedral website. Canon Palmer will be installed on 15 March 2026.
Appointment of Dean of Winchester: 8 December 2025
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Christopher Palmer, Canon Residentiary and Treasurer of Exeter Cathedral, as Dean of Winchester.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 8 December 2025
The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Christopher Palmer, Canon Residentiary and Treasurer of Exeter Cathedral, as Dean of Winchester, in succession to The Very Reverend Catherine Ogle following her retirement.
Background
Christopher was educated at University of Oxford and trained for ministry at St Stephen’s House, Oxford. He served his title at All Saints, Emscote, in the Diocese of Coventry, and was ordained Priest in 1999. He served as Team Vicar of All Saints, East Sheen, in the Diocese of Southwark and, from 2005, was also the Area Dean of Richmond and Barnes. In 2010, Christopher was appointed Team Rector of Merton Priory.
From 2018 Christopher served as Canon Chancellor of Exeter Cathedral and he took up his current role as Canon Treasurer in 2022.
14 CommentsDiocese of Newcastle Bishop Helen-Ann’s Presidential Address to Diocesan Synod
[This address refers to a motion on LLF at Newcastle diocesan synod; the motion is copied below the fold.]
Surviving Church A reply to Anon’s Reflections on the Safeguarding Failures and Delays in the C/E highlighted by the Charity Commission
Mark Clavier Well-Tempered Four Last Things
34 CommentsThe Scottish Episcopal Church has responded to the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, which offer a revised definition of the Anglican Communion and suggest an enhanced role for the Primates’ Meeting together with a rotating presidency of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC).
The press release is here, and the full text of the response (15 pages) is over here. The press release is copied in full below the fold.
17 CommentsThe Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, the Bishop of Repton, has announced his retirement. His last day in post will be 30 April 2026. Details are on the Derby diocesan website.
1 CommentThe Revd Canon Dr Philip Hobday has been appointed as the next Dean of Wakefield; he is currently the sub-dean. Details are on the Leeds diocesan website and on the cathedral website. He will be installed on Saturday 07 March 2026.
45 CommentsThe Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, has announced that he will retire on his 70th birthday in August 2026. Details are on the diocesan website, and the bishop has written this letter to his diocese.
1 CommentHelen King ViaMedia.News Safeguarding: How Can We “Learn Lessons” From the Read Sisters’ Case?
Mark Clavier Well-Tempered In Praise of Vicarages
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Tithing – A form of Manipulation?
65 CommentsWe reported earlier this month that the Governing Body of the Church in Wales was to meet to consider rule changes to allow the appointment of an interim Bishop of Bangor. The meeting took place yesterday and it agreed, with a slight amendment, the proposed changes. Details are in a press release, which is copied below.
Governing Body approves motion enabling interim Bishop of Bangor appointment
Provincial news Posted: 25 November 2025
The Governing Body of the Church in Wales met today to vote on proposed, time-limited constitutional changes that would allow an interim Bishop to be appointed to the Diocese of Bangor.
The motion, brought forward following the Electoral College’s decision not to proceed with an election at this stage, sought temporary amendments to the Constitution so that an experienced bishop may be invited to serve in Bangor for a period of one to two years. The interim appointment is intended to provide leadership and stability while work continues to strengthen governance, management, finance, and diocesan structures in preparation for a future episcopal election.
After an amendment which extended the maximum expiration date of the arrangements to a month following the first ordinary Governing Body meeting in 2028, members voted as follows:
With a majority in favour, the amended motion was passed.
The Governing Body’s approval now enables progress toward inviting an interim bishop to take up leadership in Bangor following the retirement of Bishop Andrew John at the end of August.
6 CommentsThe Church Mouse The Church of England attempts to define doctrine
23 CommentsCharlie Bell ViaMedia.News What Does it Mean to be Anglican in a Post-colonial Communion?
Ruth Grayson Surviving Church From Inertia to Overkill: A Surfeit of Safeguarding?
Michelle Burns Guarding The Flock Institutional Gaslighting in the Church: Rewriting the Stories of Those They Harmed
77 CommentsThe five bishops of the Church in Wales (Bangor being currently vacant) have today issued a pastoral letter in English and Welsh about the future of ceremonies for same-sex couples in the Church in Wales. In it they announce that they will introduce proposals:
to the Governing Body in April 2026 to make the authorisation of Blessings for Same Sex Couples permanent in the life of the Church, and to bring further proposals in April 2027 to allow the law of the state and of the Church to be changed to permit same sex marriage in our Churches.
Read the full (English) text of the letter below.
102 CommentsColin Coward Unadulterated Love
Mike Higton ViaMedia.News Cries of Suffering: A Response to ‘The Nature of Doctrine and the Living God’
Kat Campion-Spall ViaMedia.News Learning and Listening: Being Inclusive
Andrew Goddard Psephizo Can the PLF process be rescued?
Anon Surviving Church ‘Church of England Must Rapidly Accelerate Safeguarding Reforms’
57 CommentsThe Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, has announced he will retire next July. Details are on the diocesan website.
18 CommentsChurch of England measures passed by the General Synod have to be passed by both Houses of Parliament before they can receive Royal Assent. Before this they are reviewed by the Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament. The Church Times has reported that two draft measures have not been well received by the committee.
Ecclesiastical Committee concerned about power dynamics in National Church Governance Measure
Concerns about the “huge power” enjoyed by the body set to replace the Archbishops’ Council were voiced in Parliament last week, during a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Committee.
Convened to consider the National Church Governance Measure, which is set to overhaul the National Church Institutions (NCIs), the Committee heard lengthy criticism by Danny Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last month. His concerns were focused on Church of England National Services (CENS), a new charity replacing the Archbishops’ Council, that will be responsible for distributing funds allocated by the Church Commissioners…
There is an uncorrected transcript of the Committee’s public meeting at which it took evidence from Church representatives here.
Clergy conduct batted back to General Synod
The Ecclesiastical Committee of Parliament is expected to send the draft Clergy Conduct Measure (CCM) back to the General Synod for further consideration rather than approve its passage into law.
On Wednesday, the Church Times understood that the Measure had been rejected as “not expedient”, on the basis, primarily, of concerns about the default expectation in the CCM that tribunal hearings would be held in private.
The publication of a report confirming the parliamentary decision and setting out the reasons behind it is expected to be published next week…
The report has not yet been published; when it is it will be published here.
23 CommentsPeter Collier ViaMedia.News The House of Bishops on Clergy and Same Sex Marriage – Further Personal Reflections
13 CommentsAndrew Davison Church Times Analysis: Beware of doctrinal development?
Ruth Harley ViaMedia.News A Question of Conscience
David Runcorn Inclusive Evangelicals When the fruit is good don’t call it bad
Jonathan Clatworthy The point of it all The Word of God and the proposals of humans
23 CommentsThe Charity Commission has issued this press release:
Church of England charity must rapidly accelerate safeguarding reforms
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England must rapidly accelerate the delivery of safeguarding improvements and close gaps in its approach to handling complaints, the charity regulator has warned.
The Charity Commission has set an expectation that the Archbishops’ Council should implement independent safeguarding structures as endorsed by the Church’s General Synod in February 2025 within 18 months from now – a year sooner than current plans indicate – and in the meantime, put robust interim measures in place to keep people safe.
The expectation is part of a Regulatory Action Plan issued to the Archbishops’ Council, a registered charity whose objects are to co-ordinate, promote, aid and further the work and mission of the Church of England. It follows the Commission engaging with the charity over whether its trustees are taking sufficient steps to address the safeguarding concerns and implement recommended changes raised in a number of safeguarding reviews…
….In summary, the Commission has found that:
- there is insufficient urgency and pace in implementing responses to past safeguarding reviews, and the current approach to doing so is fragmented and overly complex. For example, the Council’s current timescale of 2028 to pass the necessary legislation to implement independent safeguarding is too slow, representing a four year gap since the publication of the Jay Review
- currently the Church does not treat allegations of abuse from an adult not assessed to be “vulnerable” as a safeguarding allegation. The Commission’s guidance is clear that trustees must take reasonable steps to protect from harm all people who come into contact with their charity
To which the Church of England has responded:
Archbishops’ Council response to Charity Commission case review
24 Comments