The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised to abuse survivors who feel "let down by the Church" after a BBC investigation into a pay-out to a cathedral canon who was reportedly assessed as a potential risk to children.
The BBC reports that Canon Andrew Hindley was the subject of five police investigations, including into allegations of sexual assault, during his three decades with the Diocese of Blackburn from 1991 to 2021.
The BBC alleges that the diocese attempted several times to pay off the canon and even had a plan in place, backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to close Blackburn Cathedral if the priest returned to work after a suspension.
The canon eventually left in 2022 after reportedly being offered an undisclosed sum, which the Church of England said was to settle legal action brought by the priest over his forced retirement.
The Archbishops said in a statement that the case showed that the Church of England "must learn from the mistakes of the past".
"We are truly sorry when survivors are let down by the Church. We were both made aware of this case, including the concerning background and the challenges caused by statutory and Church processes ending with no further action," they said.
"We absolutely believe that there is no place in ministry for people who are a risk or pose a risk to others and continue to work to ensure that our systems are made ever stronger and more robust.
"This case highlights the complexity of our structures and processes and is just one example of why we asked Professor Alexis Jay, the former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, to provide options and recommendations for how further independence of safeguarding within the Church of England might be achieved. This work is now being taken forward.
"As the Bishop of Blackburn told the BBC, the Church has made huge strides in safeguarding in the past 10 years particularly in listening to the voices of survivors and victims. However, this case, which goes back many years, shows that we are still working to get our processes right and we must learn from the mistakes of the past."
The Church of England said in a separate statement that the case was "complicated and very difficult for everyone involved particularly those who came forward".
"A number of allegations were made about the Canon over a number of years and a risk assessment was conducted according to the House of Bishops 2017 safeguarding guidance," it said.
"In the event, none of the allegations resulted either in a conviction in the criminal courts, or in a determination of misconduct in the independent Church courts through the Clergy Discipline Measure.
"He was removed from office on health grounds by the former Bishop of Blackburn, in 2021, under the Church Dignitaries (Retirement) Measure 1949 , but the Canon then brought a claim in the High Court for judicial review of that decision and payment was made in settlement of that claim.
"The Church of England is currently reviewing the disciplinary procedure for members of clergy (Clergy Discipline Measure), as recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, IICSA and a review of the risk assessment regulations and guidance is under way."
