Mr Cottrell, while bishop of Chelmsford, twice renewed Tudor’s contract as area dean in Essex despite having been “fully briefed” about his past. Mr Cottrell, responding to the finding, said: “We all have much to learn from this case. On a claim that Mr Cottrell should have suspended Tudor, Sir Stephen wrote that he “had no power to remove or suspend David Tudor from ministry”. He said that the “appalling” decision to allow Tudor to return to ministry had taken place “long before” Mr Cottrell became bishop of Chelmsford. “I am sorry that the reappointment of Mr Tudor as area dean did not sufficiently consider the impact on those he had harmed.