The late Robert Waddington is accused of abusing boys in the UK and Australia
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is to set up an independent inquiry to investigate allegations of child abuse by a senior cleric. The late Robert Waddington, who was Dean of Manchester Cathedral between 1984 and 1990, is alleged to have abused several boys in the UK and abroad.
It has been reported that in 1999 the then Archbishop of York, David (now Lord) Hope, was told that Waddington had abused a pupil while he was the headteacher at a school in Queensland, Australia. And in 2003, a former choirboy at Manchester Cathedral claimed he had been abused by Waddington in the 1980s.
A statement from the Office of the Archbishop of York said: "When any church-related abuse comes to light the church's first concern must be for the victim, offering support and apologising for the abuse, acknowledging that the effects can be lifelong. on Saturday afternoon
"When the inquiry makes its report the Archbishop will make its findings public."
Lord Hope has "strenuously denied" allegations that he "acted negligently" in not referring sexual abuse complaints against Waddington to police. A statement released on Friday by the Diocese of Bradford – where Lord Hope serves as an honorary assistant bishop – insisted that he had "always adhered to the statutory practices of the Church of England concerning safeguarding".