A COMPLAINT against the Archbishop of Canterbury has been dismissed by the President of Tribunals, who reviewed the complaint after an appeal. He concluded that it was “vexatious and ought not to have been brought”.

Sir Stephen Males upheld the original determination by the Archbishop of York. The complaint relates to the alleged mishandling of a safeguarding complaint against a priest in the diocese of London, of which Archbishop Mullally was Bishop from 2018 until 28 January (News, 8 January).

A notice issued by Lambeth Palace on Monday said: “Sir Stephen Males upheld the original determination by the Archbishop of York and concluded that it was a vexatious complaint which ought not to have been brought.”

In a statement, Archbishop Mullally welcomed the “scrutiny” brought by the handling of the appeal, and said that she remained committed to listening to victims and survivors and to helping to build “an even safer Church”.

Shortly before Christmas, Archbishop Cottrell accepted an updated witness statement from the complainant, Survivor N, in the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) process (News, 31 December). He rejected, however, the complainant’s request to include further witness statements from other individuals, on the basis that they did not relate to the specifics of the complaint. He explained that the legal structure of the CDM meant that he could not accede to Survivor N’s request for the case to be delegated immediately to the President of Tribunals.

Archbishop Mullally said: “I welcome the independent scrutiny that the President of Tribunals has brought to this case. I also echo his disappointment over the original delay in handling this complaint, and the impact that this has had on N. I am committed to ensuring that our processes are robust, effective, and supportive for all involved in complaints. I remain committed to listening to the voices of victims and survivors, and the work being done towards building an even safer Church.”