Andrew Soper (also known as Father Laurence Soper) said his whole life had been “ruined” by the allegations over to his time as headmaster and senior priest at fee-paying St Benedict’s School in Ealing, west London.

While on police bail over accusations dating back to the 1970s and 80s, Soper went on the run in Kosovo – but was extradited back to England face trial at the Old Bailey.

Ten former pupils have made allegations against him, including that he used the cane as a ruse to sexually assault and rape them.

Jane Humphryes, QC, defending, asked the defendant: “Have you ever sexually assaulted any of the complainants from this trial?”

The former Ealing abbot replied: “Never.”

His lawyer asked him to explain why he fled Rome for Kosovo while under investigation by police in Britain in 2011.

He said: “My stupidity and cowardice and wishing to bury my head in the sand played a big part.

“If you want to destroy a priest, vicar, anybody, all you have to do is make an accusation up against them. Their future is ruined, their character is ruined.

“Their past is ruined because the whole thing is re-interpreted – everything you have done in the past and tried to do for good – in sexual terms. You must have been in it for something.

“By the time I fled on March 4 2011, I had been on police bail for six months and I had a phone call from a solicitor in England saying I was going to be re-bailed for another three months.

“The pressures I suppose on anybody being on…

Archbishop Justin and Patriarch Kirill wrote in a joint statement that they: “Thank God for the opportunity to meet in Moscow in order to with one voice before the entire world bear witness to our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for faith in Christ.”

Referencing the Middle East and Africa, they said mass killings, destructions of churches and the forcing of Christians out of their homes were all factors contributing to devastating persecution.

During the three-day visit, the two leaders cited Bible verses for support such as 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it: if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.”

Archbishop Justin and Patriarch Kirill also suggested: “We ought not to forget preventative measures against the ideology of extremism that has spread throughout the world under the influence of militants like an epidemic.

“We call upon the world’s religious and political leaders to unite in their efforts to come up with an effective response to extremism.”

The church leaders called for international leaders to speedily help refugees and those facing no guarantee of security because of war through interreligious dialogue.

While the UK backed ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Germany earlier this month, the Christian group said the recent publication of the government’s long-awaited Clean Growth Strategy revealed that UK policies will not cut emissions fast enough.

Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain said: “Whilst communities at home and overseas are already facing the impacts of climate change, the UK risks falling well short of its obligations to cut emissions.”

“We all share a real concern on the state of our oceans and the relationship this has to our efforts with #ClimateChange” – @FijiAG on the #OceanPathway Partnership launched at #COP23 https://t.co/j6121rWFBx

— COP23 (@COP23) November 22, 2017

The climate deal requires international cooperation to keep global warming to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels by the end of the century, and to pursue efforts to limit this further to 1.5°C.

Quakers in Britain said the inclusion of the 1.5°C target reflected the growing recognition that 2°C still poses the threat of extensive sea level rises, crop failures and extended heat waves around the world.

Parker said in a statement that people of faith should be concerned if the UK undermines its global commitment to the Paris climate deal.

He added: “As people of faith, we call on the government to redress this injustice.

“The government is right to seek leadership in UN climate…