The Revd David Tudor, Team Rector of Canvey Island in the Diocese of Chelmsford, has been removed from office and prohibited from ministry for life following a decision of The Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for The Diocese of Southwark which sat on 28 and 29 October 2024. Mr Tudor had been Team Rector of Canvey Island since 2000.
The Tribunal examined two complaints against Mr Tudor under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003 relating to his time as a priest in the Diocese of Southwark in the 1980s. The Tribunal accepted his admissions and judged them to be conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a Clerk in Holy Orders.
In response to the judgment, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark, said:
“The behaviours admitted by David Tudor indicate a serious and damaging breach of his pastoral and professional obligations as a priest and I would like to apologise unreservedly for the pain and trauma that his actions have caused. I am deeply grateful for those who have had the courage to share their experiences and engage with this long and difficult process.
“It is very clear to us now that the practice and procedures in place in the Church in the 1980s and 1990s were neither sufficiently robust nor survivor-focussed – and that decisions were taken that left open the possibility of further harm being caused by David Tudor. We deeply regret this and we give thanks that things have changed dramatically, both in our Church and in wider society.
“Our safeguarding team and others have worked hard for many months to bring David Tudor to tribunal and prohibit him from ministry for life. While this cannot erase the mistakes of the past, we hope that it will be of some comfort to survivors that he can no longer operate as a Church of England minister. Full support is being offered to all those affected by this matter and we ask that people respect their privacy and pray for them during this difficult time.”
Bishop Christopher has offered to meet with those survivors affected by the tribunal and that offer remains open for any survivor affected by David Tudor’s behaviour.
Details of the Tribunal have been published on the Church of England website.
Support
If anyone has a concern about this situation – or any safeguarding matter – list of people and organisations that can offer support is below:
[email protected]
0207 939 9441 (Mon to Fri 9am – 5pm)
020 3874 6743 (out of hours)
- Safe Spaces
A free and independent national helpline run by First Light for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with the church - Thirtyone:eight
An independent, non-denominational Christian safeguarding charity providing a wide range of support including an open-access helpline
0303 003 1111 - Survivors Voices
A survivor-led organisation that runs peer support groups for victim-survivors of all kinds of abuse, including faith-based abuse.
A fuller list of support organisations can be found on the Church of England website here.
