The former archbishop of York has been forced to step down from duties after failing to act on allegations of sexual abuse. John Sentamu last week rejected the findings of a report that found he failed to act on disclosures that a C of E vicar repeatedly raped a teenage boy in the 1980s. He claimed the report’s author, an experienced safeguarding investigator, had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the responsibilities of bishops and archbishops. In a statement on Saturday, the Diocese of Newcastle said Sentamu, an honorary assistant bishop, would be required to step down from ministry duties indefinitely. It said: “Following the publication of the independent lessons learnt review into the Church of England’s handling of allegations against the late Rev Trevor Devamanikkam, and the response of those criticised, the Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, having taken appropriate advice, yesterday required Lord Sentamu, honorary assistant bishop in Newcastle Diocese, to step back from active ministry until both the findings and his response can be explored further. “The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, is fully supportive of this decision. The Diocese of Newcastle remains committed to the highest standards of safeguarding which seeks always to place victims and survivors at the heart of this vital work.” The C of E commissioned the report to examine how it handled allegations by Matthew Ineson that he was repeatedly raped as a teenager in the 1980s by Devamanikkam, who later killed himself. In 2013, Sentamu acknowledged a letter from Ineson which detailed the sexual abuse with the words: “Please be assured of my prayers and best wishes during this testing time.” The C of E is not expected to impose sanctions on any individual as a result of the review’s findings.