Bishop of Lincoln resigns amid sex assault investigation and suspension

The Bishop of Lincoln has resigned after being suspended from ministry following his arrest earlier this year on suspicion of sexual assault, the Church of England has confirmed.

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. Stephen Conway was released on conditional bail.

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

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.

The Bishop of Grantham, the Rt Rev Dr Nicholas Chamberlain, will continue as Acting Bishop of Lincoln. When the See becomes vacant on 1 October, a Crown Nominations Commission will be convened to discern a successor.

A pastoral letter from Bishop Nick and Bishop of Grimsby, Rt Rev Jean Burgess reads: “We recognise that this news may provoke a range of feelings. It may unsettle you and may have caught you as unexpected. Some may feel anxious about the future.

“Some may have very different responses. We share this range of reactions. However you respond, we encourage you to reach out to each other as Christians together. Support will be available from your church community, from diocesan colleagues, and from us.

“Over the coming months, there will be different opportunities to gather as a diocesan family to pray together and seek that ‘still small voice of calm’ which is the reassurance that God is at work even through moments of human frailty, along unexpected journeys, and during seasons of change.

“St Paul encourages us more than once to pray ceaselessly; to devote ourselves to prayer […] And so we invite you to join us in prayer for each other, for those in need or distress, for this diocese and our journey ahead, for those who report abuse or harm and those who respond and support them, for our colleagues who investigate concerns and oversee safeguarding (particularly our diocesan and national safeguarding teams).

“Pray also for Bishop Stephen, and for all those who will carry the responsibility of discerning God’s call in the forthcoming appointments process.”