DISGRACED former bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball “colluded” with other abusive priests and “contributed to the concealment of abuse”, a damning report has found.

An Abuse of Faith, the independent report by Dame Moira Gibb into the handling of the case, which was commissioned by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, says that Mr Ball’s “shocking crimes” were “compounded” by church failures.

The former bishop of Gloucester and Lewes resigned as a bishop in 1993 after Neil Todd, a young man who had stayed with him said that there had been “sexual activity” between them.

Mr Todd committed suicide in 2012.

Ball was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable men aged between 17 and 25 between 1977 and 1992.

He was released from prison in February after serving half of his sentence.

Dame Moira Gibb says in the report, which was published today, that his abusive behaviour was “trivialised” and that the church’s attitude to homosexuality at the time “played a part in the failure”.

Responding to the report, bishop of Gloucester, the Right Revd Rachel Treweek said: “I have read Dame Moira’s report and am greatly shocked and distressed by its content.

“The report presents a devastating account of Peter Ball’s abuse and it is a matter of deep shame and regret that a bishop in the Church of England committed such horrendous crimes and that as a church we repeatedly failed to act and protect those who came forward for help.

“I feel immensely sad that Neil Todd took his own life and is not with us today - I wish to commend his tenacity and courage and that of other victims and survivors.

“There are no excuses for what took place. 

“The church commissioned this review so we could learn from our failings.

“I, alongside my staff team, remain committed to striving for the highest level of safeguarding in the Diocese of Gloucester and making our churches the safest places they can possibly be.

“We will continue to work with the National Safeguarding Team and act upon the recommendations made in the report.

“Any survivors or those with information about church-related abuse must know that they will be listened to in confidence, with genuine openness and empathy.”