I know I have made mistakes, says under-fire archbishop

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has temporarily taken over as head of the Church of England while a new Archbishop of Canterbury is selected

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said he had made mistakes and that "trust has been broken" as he opened a meeting of the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod.

Mr Cottrell, who has stepped in as head of the Church, was speaking after the Bishop of Newcastle, Helen Ann-Hartley, said he was the "wrong person" to bring much-needed reform.

Bishop Hartley has called for Mr Cottrell's resignation, after he faced criticism for his handling of a sexual abuse case last year.

The Church is searching to replace Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who stood down last year amid criticism of his and the Church's handling of the prolific child abuser John Smyth.

Mr Cottrell came under fire in December after a BBC investigation revealed he had allowed a priest to remain in post despite knowing he was barred from being alone with children and had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

In an opening address, Mr Cottrell said the Church of England is facing "difficult and challenging times" and acknowledged the "anguish, anger, sadness and regret" that victims and survivors of abuse feel about recent safeguarding failings.

Before he spoke, a vote which would have stopped Mr Cottrell from giving the opening address at the synod failed.

The vote, proposed by a lay member of the General Synod, argued Mr Cottrell's position was "no longer tenable".

Some 73 synod members voted in favour, 239 against and 43 abstained, allowing the address to go ahead.

Sam Margrave, from the Diocese of Coventry, tabled the motion. He told the BBC that people "up and down the country... [have] lost confidence in their archbishops, and it's time for action, not time for silence".

Mr Margrave said he originally put forward a motion calling for Mr Cottrell to resign but was told he "wasn't allowed to".

He continued: "I think that decision was wrong and I think General Synod should have a vote whether we have confidence, but this was one way to express our dissatisfaction.

"There were large numbers of people who have spoken and said 'we don't have confidence in the archbishop, and it really is time for him to go'."

That dramatic start to General Synod only added to the sense that this was something of a crisis meeting.

Over recent months the Church of England has been left shell-shocked by Justin Welby's resignation and the subsequent scandals that have been swirling around leaders of the institution.

The subdued nature of the gathering on Monday reflected the cloud under which it takes place.  

However, others expressed resentment among over the calls for Mr Cottrell's resignation and what some have described as "trial by media".

Speaking to the BBC, Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin said: "This sort of febrile attitude... this is not about a boardroom meeting… this is the church, we are about the business of God."

She said the gathering should be viewed as "an opportunity for the church to stop and take stock, as it were".

During his address at the synod, Mr Cottrell said: "I know mistakes have been made and I know that I have made mistakes."

He added that he is "determined to do what I can" to "lead the change we all know we need".

The synod is expected to hold significant discussions about safeguarding measures this week, after the Church faced criticism for its handling of child abuse spanning decades in a scathing report last year.

Bishop Hartley was the first senior member of the clergy to call for Mr Welby's resignation after the report into the Smyth case was published.

She said she is now viewed as a troublemaker by some of her colleagues in the clergy, with one branding her as the "Bishop of Negativity".

"I think that's really sad," she said, adding that she believed others may have joined her in speaking out if "fear" had not stopped them.

Also known as the Church's parliament, the General Synod meets up to three times a year to debate and pass measures governing how the Church works. It is made up of 478 members who are elected every five years.

Victims and survivors of abuse, along with several members of the clergy, have called for safeguarding reform, and the subject has been placed on this week's synod agenda.

Bishop Hartley said Mr Cottrell was not the right man to oversee the reform process.

"I do not think that it's appropriate for the Archbishop of York to be in post, and certainly to be leading change that the Church needs at this time," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Criticism of Mr Cottrell grew after the BBC revealed last year that he had allowed priest David Tudor to remain in post despite a ban on contact with children and past compensation pay outs.

"To allow Tudor to remain in post, I do find abhorrent," Bishop Hartley said.

She also criticised Mr Cottrell reportedly praising Tudor as a "Rolls Royce priest" despite knowing about the settlement.

Since the BBC investigation was first published, Mr Cottrell has said he is "deeply sorry" that action could not be taken earlier, but that was the situation he inherited. Tudor was banned from ministry last year.

Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley said Stephen Cottrell should resign over his handling of a sexual abuse case

A 2024 report by child safety expert Professor Alexis Jay found that the Church of England's safeguarding measures fell below the standards expected of secular organisations.

A spokesperson for the Church of England said the synod will decide between "two proposed models that significantly strengthen the independence of safeguarding structures" this week.

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