Archbishop of York to address General Synod amid calls to resign from leading bishops

Justin Welby’s temporary stand-in, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will deliver an opening address to the meeting in London, but has faced his own calls to quit over safeguarding failures.

An advocate for abuse survivors has called on Mr Cottrell and other senior leaders in the Church to show “radical humility”, as the handling of abuse cases once again comes under the spotlight during debate this week.

Mr Welby quit after pressure following a review which found Christian camp leader and prolific serial abuser John Smyth might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally reported him to police five years before the barrister’s death.

Mr Cottrell is under pressure, after a staff member, David Tudor, twice had his term renewed, who later became the centre of a sexual abuse case.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, told The Yorkshire Post: “The big issue at the moment, to be blunt, is the fact that the Archbishop of York has not resigned.

“I think the Church as an institution is haemorrhaging credibility, it’s the institution, it’s the leadership - it’s not the Church on the ground.

“Cottrell’s position in my view is untenable, and until that changes we cannot even hope to rebuild trust.”

Dr Hartley, the former Bishop of Ripon, said she was “curious as to what on earth he’s going to say in his address to Synod and how that will be received”.

She added: “I can’t think of how much more pressure it will take [for Mr Cottrell’s resignation], we keep having revelation after revelation.”

Mr Cottrell has refused to quit after revelations emerged that a priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case, David Tudor, twice had his role renewed as Area Dean under him while he was serving as Bishop of Chelmsford.

He has acknowledged things “could have been handled differently” but, previously appearing to reject calls to resign, has pledged to “do what I can” to bring about independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church.

He has previously insisted it was “not possible” to remove the priest in that case from office until fresh complaints were made in 2019.

Mr Cottrell said: “He was an Area Dean when I came into post. That post was renewed twice, and that is something I regret.”

On Tuesday, General Synod, known as the Church’s Parliament, will debate and vote on a new safeguarding model, with the lead bishop for safeguarding acknowledging the need for “radical change”.

Two so-called models for independent safeguarding will be presented to Synod, following reviews in recent years by former chairwoman of the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) Professor Alexis Jay, and barrister Sarah Wilkinson.

Mags Godderidge, CEO of York-based sexual abuse support charity Survive, will be protesting outside Synod, urging the Church to outsource its safeguarding to an external organisation.

She said: “Through our collective contact with survivors of faith-related abuse, both recent and non-recent, we repeatedly hear about the additional trauma and harm caused by inaction, cover-up and conscious decisions to stand by perpetrators.

“That survivors have been excluded from Synod makes it all the more important for groups like ours to stand with them, amplify their concerns and make sure their voices are heard.”

A Church of England spokesperson said: “The Church of England is committed to making safeguarding as robust and independent as possible.

“At General Synod, members will decide between two proposed models that significantly strengthen the independence of safeguarding structures while ensuring effective oversight and scrutiny.

They added: “The proposals have been developed through extensive consultation, including with victims and survivors, and represent a significant step forward in strengthening safeguarding across the Church.

“We recognise the deep and lasting impact of abuse and are committed to ensuring that safeguarding in the Church is independent, transparent, and accountable.”