The Bishop of Lincoln has been arrested for sexual assault and suspended from the ministry following a safeguarding complaint.

The Right Reverend Stephen Conway, 68, was detained on Thursday amid an ‘ongoing investigation’ into allegations of sexual violence, Lincolnshire Police confirmed.

The force’s enquiries concern claims a man was sexually assaulted between 2018 and 2025.

He has since been released on conditional bail while the investigation continues.

It came after a complaint – the exact nature of which is unknown – was made to the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team (NST) in late January.

The body is in charge of managing complex safeguarding cases, which involve several dioceses, and any implicating senior clergy, such as bishops or deans.

The Diocese of Lincoln confirmed on Friday the bishop had been suspended from the ministry while the NST responds to the complaint.

This is according to protocol outlined in the House of Bishops Code of Practice, which also involves informing ‘the appropriate statutory authorities’.

The Right Reverend Stephen Conway (pictured), 68, was detained amid an ‘ongoing investigation’ into allegations of sexual violence, Lincolnshire Police confirmed

The Right Reverend Stephen Conway (pictured), 68, was detained amid an ‘ongoing investigation’ into allegations of sexual violence, Lincolnshire Police confirmed

It comes days after the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally (pictured earlier this month), committed to taking safeguarding more seriously than the Church had done in the past.

It comes days after the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally (pictured earlier this month), committed to taking safeguarding more seriously than the Church had done in the past.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: ‘On Thursday, February 19, 2026, we arrested a 68-year-old man on suspicion of sexual assault.

‘The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation following an allegation that a man was sexually assaulted between 2018 and 2025.

‘The man has since been released on conditional bail.’

It came after a spokesperson for the Diocese of Lincoln said on Friday: ‘The Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Rev Stephen Conway, has been suspended from ministry while a complaint made to the National Safeguarding Team is responded to according to House of Bishops Code of Practice.

‘This includes referral to the appropriate statutory authorities.’

No details of the complaint were given.

The Bishop of Grantham, the Right Rev Dr Nicholas Chamberlain, will take up Conway’s duties during the suspension, they added.

The spokesperson continued: ‘Support is in place for those affected and there will be no further comment while the process is ongoing.

‘We understand that this will be a deeply unsettling time. The Diocesan Safeguarding Team is available for anyone who wishes to contact them.’

Conway was installed as Bishop of Lincoln in 2023, having previously served as Bishop of Ramsbury, in Wiltshire, and Bishop of Ely, in Cambridgeshire.

He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2014, as one of the 26 so-called Lords Spiritual.

These are places in the upper chamber reserved for CofE archbishops and bishops.

Archbishop Dame Sarah Mullally, has recently committed to taking safeguarding more seriously than the Church had done in the past, when she said it had ‘fallen tragically short’.

She told the General Synod last week: ‘Safeguarding is a fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility, sharpened by our past failings and shaped by the work we still have to do.

‘I am committed to bringing an approach of seriousness and focussed direction to all matters relating to safeguarding in all contexts in the church.’

Conway has been contacted for comment.

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