A “CULTURE of silence and fear” in the Church of England is stopping clergy from calling out senior leaders over the John Smyth abuse scandal, a bishop warned today.

Bishop of Newcastle Dr Helen-Ann Hartley said her fellow bishops may also be staying silent as they are thinking about their own career prospects.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation last week after being criticised in a damning report into the church’s most prolific abuser.

The Makin Review said Mr Smyth might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Ms Hartley, who called for his resignation before he stepped down, told Sky News: “I think it’s a great disappointment to me that when I called for that publicly, I was indeed a lone voice.

“So I have no real explanation for that other than there is a culture, I think, of silence and fear amongst the bishops, which is really unhealthy.”