THE Suffragan Bishop of Warrington, the Rt Revd Beverley Mason, has announced her resignation, after being away from the diocese for nearly two years.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday in a letter to the diocese, Bishop Mason said that she did not know what her future held, but she thanked supporters for their friendship and prayers.
The Interim Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, said on Wednesday: “It is with heavy hearts we receive this news today. We are thankful for all that Bishop Bev has given in her ministry among us here in the Liverpool diocese. She goes with our love and prayers for the future.”
Bishop Mason has been on a leave of absence from Liverpool diocese since autumn 2023, and revealed in January that this was connected to a complaint that she had made about the then Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath. Dr Perumbalath resigned after Bishop Mason and another woman made allegations of misconduct against him, which he denied (News, 31 January).
In her letter to the diocese this week, Bishop Mason said that, in 2023, she had been “advised to take ‘extended study leave’ on the understanding that the causative matter would be resolved soon thereafter”.
“Although resolution was out of my hands, I am profoundly sorry that it has taken so long,” she wrote, and suggested that there was “much learning the Church might take” from the saga.
“Only self-examination will lead to contrition, repentance, amendment and the blessing we long for. After a long time of personal self-examination this remains my hope and prayer.
“When systems or processes unintentionally lead to distress or difficulty for individuals, whether lay or ordained, it is important to pause, reflect and address the root causes. As a church, with pastoral responsibility at the heart of who we are and what we do, we can do better and we can model something better for a bemused world.”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the diocese of St Asaph confirmed that Bishop Mason remained an honorary assistant bishop in the Church in Wales — an appointment announced in April (News, 11 April).
She is due to preach at a eucharist in St Asaph Cathedral on 14 September, which is part of the North Wales International Music Festival.
In April, Bishop Mason said that St Asaph had “opened the door upon a new vista and I look forward with hope to a restored and renewed ministry in the Province of the Church in Wales”.