Exclusive:Bishop of Newcastle: the Archbishop of York must resign to stop Church haemorrhaging credibility

The Archbishop, the second-most senior priest in the Church, is set to address General Synod on Monday, the first since the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation last year.

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

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.

Dr Hartley said she would listen to the debate, but believed the second model would provide greater independence from the Church.

However, she admitted that she had an issue with the fact it still placed safeguarding responsibilities with bishops.

Dr Hartley said: “When you leave any reference in the mix to the Bishop having anything to do with safeguarding, that is a risk and vulnerability that is not appropriate now in the landscape we are clearly in.

“Bishops are responsible, but in the landscape of safeguarding, we are not safeguarding professionals and we should not have any role to play.

“As time unfolds in the coming weeks, we will have to look again at that canon to remove the bishops’ responsibility.”

Mags Godderidge, CEO of York-based sexual abuse support charity Survive, said that there had to be a greater “level of transparency” within the Church.

She is one of a number of campaigners who are set to protest outside the Synod, urging the Church to make its safeguarding operation completely independent.

Ms Godderidge said: “We’re all waiting to see whether they’re going to embrace Prof Alexis Jay’s report, which said that all of their safeguarding should be independent of the Church.

She added: “I’ve still got no idea how many priests there are in the Church of England that aren’t allowed contact with children.”

Survive is part of a coalition called Act on IICSA, which is urging the Government to bring in the inquiry’s recommendations in full.

“We can’t understand how somebody who has been accused of abusing children can retain their position [in the Chuch], so having the Child Protection Authority will be a step in the right direction,” Ms Godderidge added.

“The mandatory reporting will be really important, that has to include things like religious institutions.”

While Dr Hartley, the former Bishop of Ripon, reiterated her call for Mr Cottrell to resign, saying: “The big issue at the moment, to be blunt, is the fact that the Archbishop of York has not resigned.

“I’ve already spoken out about that - I think the Church as an institution is haemorrhaging credibility, and I’m really keen to put across the point that it’s the institution, it’s the leadership - it’s not the Church on the ground.

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

Mr Cottrell has refused to quit after revelations emerged that a priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case, Mr 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.”

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

“At General Synod next week, 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.”