Senior Church of England cleric resigns over abuse case

Lord Hope of Thornes was criticised over his handling of allegations against a former Dean of Manchester

A senior Church of England cleric has resigned after a report criticised him for the handling of cases involving a paedophile priest.

The former Archbishop of York, Lord Hope of Thornes, has stepped down from formal ministry after nearly 50 years after an independent inquiry found he failed to properly handle allegations against Robert Waddington.

For more than five decades Waddington, a former Dean of Manchester between 1984 and 1993, had abused school pupils and choir boys.

Last week the report, published after an inquiry overseen by Judge Sally Cahill QC, found “opportunities were missed” to start an investigation before Waddington’s death in 2007.

The report also criticised Lord Hope for failing to alert police or children’s services. Instead, he had merely revoked Waddington’s authority to conduct services.