Now the Church’s number 2, the Archbishop of York, is being asked to resign for ‘ignoring 11 separate complaints’ – after the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was forced to resign.

The Church of England faced further turmoil last night after the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, was asked to resign over his handling of abuse cases.

The demand comes after the head of the CofE, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, was forced to resign last week over his cover-up of a child abuse scandal.

Archbishop Cottrell, the CofE’s second most senior official, is accused of “ignoring” 11 separate complaints, some involving senior figures in the Church, including bishops.

In a devastating intervention, Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who led an independent body investigating abuse within the CofE, said she had repeatedly raised her concerns with Archbishop Cottrell, 66, but maintained that he had left the victims “in the desert”. She claims in an interview with The Mail on Sunday that she had a similar response from Mr Welby, 68.

She said: “I sat down with the two archbishops and poured out my heart and told them we need help. This was not heard – they chose to look the other way.

“The true currency of leadership is transparency and trust. Unfortunately,

Stephen (Cottrell) also did not protest with the survivors.

“I think resigning is the most appropriate thing to do.”

Last week, some clerics warned that others might have to resign and called for “institutional changes.”

But Archbishop Cottrell, a father of three, attempted to draw a line, suggesting Mr Welby’s decision was sufficient “because he resigned due to institutional failings”.

As senior lawyer for the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) and with three decades of working with victims of abuse, Dame Jasvinder, 59, has reviewed cases rejected by the Church.

She rejected some cases that “did not meet our threshold” – but 12 from the 1980s to the early 2000s were considered strong.

Between January 2022 and June 2023, she said she repeatedly pressed Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell to act, but only one case was reopened.

She said: “At every point when we tried to get them to listen, we were ignored. There are people who are still in place and who must be held accountable.

“There have been sexual, physical and emotional allegations as well as bullying, intimidation and many have gone to the Church for a response of protection and have been abandoned. It’s about victims and survivors and doing the right thing. These victims are still waiting for closure and compensation.

“Some of their complaints target very senior bishops.”

In an email in July, she expressed concern to Archbishop Cottrell and Mr Welby that some victims were so traumatized that they “could not survive another year without support”. But she added: “Every time we have tried to advocate for the needs of victims, it has not been well received. It was terrible.

One of 11 alleged victims whose cases were ‘ignored’ told the Mail on Sunday he could no longer live in Britain because of the abuse he suffered in the 1980s when he was a teenager and that he now suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 2012, he told the Church about his abuse and sought help from the National Safeguarding Team.

He said: “There are people in the Church who want to destroy us because we embarrass them.

“It’s embarrassing to say that I was a teenager and was sexually assaulted by a bishop. I wanted the ISB to establish the truth about what I was saying so that no one else would have to suffer.

“I wanted to help end the cycle of cruelty at the highest levels of the Church, and that was going to come from an independent review of the facts.

“The more you put a lid on it, the stronger the stench is when you open it.”

In June 2023, Dame Jasvinder was dismissed from her position by the Archbishops’ Council, of which Mr Welby and Archbishop Cottrell were the two chairs.

The council said “fundamental communication” problems were to blame, but Dame Jasvinder claimed her independence was compromised when the Church nominated its candidate for ISB chair.

Despite losing her job, Dame Jasvinder is still acting for alleged victims of abuse. She also represents alleged victims of sexual abuse by Mohamed Al-Fayed at Harrods.

A spokeswoman for the Archbishop of York last night denied he had “ignored” the cases.

She said: “The Archbishop has always taken safeguarding very seriously, particularly his commitment to victims and survivors, and he commends Dame Jasvinder’s work in this important area.

“But it is not true to say that these victims and survivors were “ignored.”

“He believes that the future of safeguarding the Church requires independent structures and careful control, while ensuring that it remains everyone’s responsibility.

“The Archbishop deeply regrets the impact on victims following the dissolution of the BSI, which was a decision taken collectively by the Archbishops’ Council. This was due to a breakdown in relations with independent members.