Church of England bishop resigns after suspension over safeguarding complaint

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The Bishop of Lincoln, Stephen Conway, has resigned after being suspended from ministry following his arrest earlier this year on suspicion of sexual assault, the Church of England said on Monday.

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British police said in February that a 68-year-old man had been arrested as part of an investigation into an allegation that a man was sexually assaulted between 2018 and 2025. Conway was released on conditional bail.

The Church of England said that a safeguarding complaint concerning Conway had been referred to the relevant authorities.

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A member of parliament’s upper house, the House of Lords, Conway became Bishop of Lincoln in 2023. He was among a number of clergy criticised in an independent review into the Church of England’s handling of prolific abuser John Smyth, though he said at the time that he had done all he could within his authority.

His resignation comes as the Church continues to face scrutiny over safeguarding failures following the fallout from the Smyth review, which in 2024 led to the resignation of Justin Welby, the then-Archbishop of Canterbury.

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(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Sam Tobin)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 8:37 AM.