Having already been banned for all times from participating in ministry, disgraced Church of England priest David Tudor has been hit with one more lifetime ministry ban.
In November a Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Southwark upheld a latest grievance against Tudor referring to the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl within the mid-Nineteen Eighties. This week the tribunal said that consequently of its deliberations it could be imposing a second lifetime ban on Tudor.
Tudor had already received such a ban in 2024 after he admitted that sexual abuse allegations made against him by two women were true.
Both the Diocese of Southwark and the Diocese of Chelmsford have responded to the most recent ban on Tudor. While the complaints against Tudor relate to his time as a priest in Southwark, Tudor after a period of suspension, resumed ministry work on the Diocese of Chelmsford in 1997.
Questions were asked of the present Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who became Bishop of Chelmsford in 2010. Cottrell later said he was within the “awful situation” of being unable to legally take motion against Tudor without latest complaints or evidence. A recent tribunal cleared Cottrell of any misconduct within the case but found that “some mistakes were made” within the handling of the case.
Following the news of a latest lifetime ban on Tudor, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Christopher Chessun said, “It takes extraordinary courage to talk out and convey forward a grievance, and so I’m grateful to the lady who shared her experience of David Tudor’s harmful actions, and I apologise unreservedly for the pain and trauma he has caused.
“I am also grateful to those who’ve engaged on this long and difficult process to reach this judgment, particularly to those that have been affected by his behaviour and to the safeguarding professionals in Chelmsford and Southwark Dioceses and the Church of England National Safeguarding Team.”
His statement was echoed by the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, who said, “The woman who brought this grievance showed extraordinary courage in doing so. I would like to repeat my due to her and to all those that have come forward to report David Tudor’s abuse.
“I’m profoundly sorry for the trauma and harm he has caused and I’m deeply grateful to them for engaging with this lengthy and difficult process.”
She added, “We are continuing to support the Independent Reviewers who’re 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’re in touch with is affected by this update and would love to discuss with someone independently, please call the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit Safe Spaces Website. Alternatively, chances are you’ll want to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
