Bishop claims isolation from Church of England colleagues after advocating for Archbishop Welby’s resignation

A bishop who urged the Archbishop of Canterbury to step down due to his failure to report an abuser has informed the BBC that she has experienced being “frozen out” by her fellow Church of England clergy. Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, was the highest-ranking cleric to recommend Justin Welby’s resignation, which occurred last month, following a report that concluded he had not adequately pursued allegations. John Smyth, a lay preacher linked to the church, is believed to have subjected up to 130 individuals to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse across three countries spanning multiple decades. Bishop Hartley conveyed to the BBC her belief that some of her colleagues remained silent due to concerns for their careers, while others harbored aspirations of succeeding Mr Welby. During an interview on the Sunday programme on Radio 4, she stated that she had received minimal support from her church colleagues after voicing her concerns, with only a small number reaching out to her privately. When questioned if she had felt “frozen out” by other bishops and archbishops since that time, she responded: “Yes, I do.” When asked for the potential reasons, she commented: “Perhaps some of them are shocked that one of their number has actually called out [the] culture and spoken out publicly in a way that has caused some shockwaves amongst the bishops.” She added: “I think perhaps they’re fearful of what that means for them and I think some are not sure how to respond – and I think some are certainly silent because they do see themselves, sadly, as potentially taking over from Archbishop Justin. “There is definitely some careerism.” Bishop Hartley mentioned that she had received hundreds of letters and emails from the public expressing gratitude for her outspokenness, but acknowledged there was little she could do regarding her church colleagues’ isolation of her. She further stated: “I’m not dwelling on it, for my own sense of wellbeing, because I know that I have done the right thing – and I think history will judge me in that way.” The independent report, authored by Keith Makin, concluded that “several opportunities were missed” to formally report the late Smyth’s abuse to law enforcement after the church became aware of it in July 2013. Mr Welby was explicitly mentioned. The Church of England issued a statement saying: “The national safeguarding team is considering whether there was any new information in the Makin report that needs to be assessed for any ongoing safeguarding risk and any evidence to support any disciplinary or capability process against individuals named in the report who are still under the authority or oversight of the [church].” Sunday – Helen-Ann Hartley discusses being ‘frozen out’ by other bishops The Bishop of Newcastle, who advocated for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation, speaks with William Crawley on BBC Radio 4 regarding the consequences she has faced for challenging the status quo. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.