The archbishop of York has highlighted the need for actions more than words in his Christmas sermon, as the Church of England faces criticism over failures in its handling of recent abuse scandals.
Stephen Cottrell, who will become the temporary leader of the Church in England in early January in place of the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the church must “kneel in penitence and adoration” this Christmas and “be changed”.
Cottrell noted that at the centre of the nativity was a “tiny, vulnerable child” and stressed that the C of E “needs simply to look at this vulnerable child, at this empty out of power, to demonstrate the power of love. For it is in this tiny, vulnerable child that we are invited to see God”.
Cottrell emphasised the imperative to look out for the needs of others “who are cold and hungry this Christmas, those who are victims of abuse and exploitation, those who like a little holy family, have to flee oppression and seek refuge in a foreign land.”
Cotrell closed his sermon by admonishing the congregants to do more than speak fine words. “Don’t just talk about justice, don’t just talk about joy. Don’t just talk about service. Don’t just talk about love. Show it.”
Welby will formally step down from his post as the de facto leader of the Church of England next month after resigning in November over failures in dealing with a serial abuser of 130 boys and young men in three countries over several decades.
The Makin report on the abuse by the late barrister and church lay reader John Smyth, and the church’s failure to tackle it, concluded justice may have been brought had Welby formally reported him to police in 2013 when allegations about the abuse were brought before him.
Cottrell, however, has also faced calls to resign after revelations that another priest at the centre of a sexual abuse case was twice reappointed under him while he was serving as bishop of Chelmsford. Earlier this week, Cottrell said things “could have been handled differently”.
Victims of David Tudor have described Cottrell’s response to the case as “insulting and upsetting” and suggested that his resignation or him being forced out of his leading role in the church was “inevitable”.
A spokesperson for Cottrell said no one had advised him at the time that Tudor should not continue as an area dean and added that even had he not continued in that role, it would not have meant he was removed as parish priest.
Cottrell’s credibility has also been called into question by the bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, and the bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, who declined to publicly back him.
Hartley described Cottrell’s sermon as “empty words”. Hartley, who previously questioned how Cottrell could have any credibility, wrote on social media: “The archbishop of York says this today: ‘Right now, this Christmas, God’s Church itself needs to come again to the manger and strip off her finery and kneel in penitence and adoration. And be changed’. Empty words. I have no words more than that to describe their meaning.”
The process to replace Welby is expected to take months, with an announcement about a new archbishop of Canterbury possible in autumn 2025.
Source: theguardian.com
