The Bishop of Oxford has insisted that caring for sex abuse victims is a "high priority" after facing allegations he failed to act when one victim reported a rape.
The Rt Rev Steven Croft has denied the allegations and wrote a blog post on Friday defending how he handled the case. The article comes after Croft told the BBC on Thursday he did act when he incident was reported and insisted those involved were "properly supported".
He wrote on Friday: "I am committed to providing support and pastoral care, both to survivors and, where appropriate, perpetrators.
"I know we do not always as a Church get things right. I don't always get things right as a bishop. We need to be constantly listening to the experience of survivors, learning lessons for the future and improving our practice."
The alleged victim said he was raped by a priest when he was a teenager in Yorkshire in the 1980s. He said he told Croft, then Bishop of Sheffield, what happened but was "angry" at the lack of action. He said the bishop "did nothing" and "couldn't get off the phone quick enough".
Croft faced a demonstration outside Christ Church Cathedral on the day he was inaugerated as Bishop of Oxford. One of the protestors, who goes under the name Michael according to Croft's blog, later gave an interview to the BBC during which he accused Croft of failing to act.
"The past three years, for me, have been hell because I live with it every day," he said.
"I never think of anything else, and thought I was tough, and I thought I was a grown man and I could cope.
"It never leaves you and it brings back all sorts of memories."
Croft said he could not go into details of the case because there was a police investigation. He added he did not want "to make life any more difficult for him [Michael] by publicly disagreeing (as I do) with some of his claims".
He admitted there had been historic cases of the Church attempting to cover up abuse but said this was "utterly unacceptable, and completely contrary to my beliefs and values".
He added: "While we must never be complacent, I am confident that we have radically improved our policy and practice around safeguarding in recent years."
Croft encouraged other abuse survivors to contact his office and said complaints will be "thoroughly and appropriately investigated by the statutory authorities".
He concluded: "Recent events have made me even more determined and committed to listen well to survivors of abuse in the future and to help the wider Church do so as well. The Church is committed to learning and improving practice across the board in relation to survivors of abuse, and to seeking justice for all those involved in such cases."
