A news report from someone who sat on the committee which met in 2022 to discuss the Bishop of Liverpool appointment claimed Mr Cottrell and Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft had coerced other members to change their vote despite safeguarding concerns about Mr Perumbalath.
At the time a spokesperson for Mr Cottrell said: “The Archbishop of York and Bishop of Oxford categorically reject any suggestion of coercion or bullying during a Crown Nominations Commission (CNC).”.
Stephen Cottrell last month rejected allegations that he bullied members of a committee to secure the appointment of a man who later quit amid media coverage of sexual assault and harassment allegations against him.
He told those gathered in central London: “I want to publicly both acknowledge your integrity and commitment and also, if sometimes I have – I would say completely unintentionally – been thought of to influence the vote in any way, I publicly apologise for that.”.
The Archbishop of York has apologised to the Church of England’s parliament for ever “completely unintentionally” having been thought to influence voting in the selection of a new bishop.
