Archbishop to call for actions rather than words

The Archbishop of York, who volition efficaciously instrumentality implicit arsenic person of the Church of England adjacent month, is expected to telephone for actions alternatively than words successful his Christmas sermon.

Stephen Cottrell is owed to present the sermon arsenic the Church faces maltreatment scandals.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned past period aft helium was criticised for not doing capable to halt a prolific abuser. He volition not preside implicit the Christmas work astatine Canterbury Cathedral.

Mr Cottrell, acceptable to instrumentality implicit galore of the Church's enactment duties connected 6 January erstwhile Mr Welby leaves his position, has himself faced calls to measurement down.

Some victims straight affected by the Church maltreatment scandals person spoken astir experiencing a hard Christmas with feelings that they are inactive not being listened to.

At York Minster connected Christmas morning, Mr Cottrell volition speech of the request not conscionable to speech astir justness and emotion but to "walk the talk".

He volition talk of "the inadequacies of those who speech a bully game, but whose words are ne'er embodied successful action".

He volition speech of helping the astir vulnerable, saying: "Put the needs of others archetypal – those who are acold and bare and stateless this Christmas. Those who are victims of maltreatment and exploitation."

"Right now, this Christmas, God's Church itself needs to travel to the manger and portion disconnected her finery and kneel successful penitence and adoration," helium is expected to say.

"And beryllium changed. At the centre of the Christmas communicative is simply a susceptible child; a susceptible kid that Herod's furious wrath volition effort and destroy, for similar each tyrant helium cannot abide a rival.

"The Church of England… needs to look astatine this susceptible child, astatine this emptying retired of powerfulness to show the powerfulness of love, for successful this susceptible kid we spot God."

Mr Cottrell has been nether scrutiny implicit his handling of a clergyman successful his charge, David Tudor, who had been barred by the Church from being unsocial with children but who for years remained successful his post.

In November the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned pursuing a study that criticised his handling of John Smyth who abused much than 120 boys and young men.

The Church said Mr Welby would beryllium spending "private clip with his family" this Christmas.

Other bishops person confronted the Church situation caput connected successful their Christmas messages.

The Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, who has faced his ain calls to resign, spoke of "a situation successful assurance successful galore of our institutions, including successful our ain Church".

Mr Croft said Christmas was a clip to intermission and instrumentality stock.

Churches astir the state are focussing connected a gospel communicative of anticipation defying darkness, but this twelvemonth with an unusually troubled backdrop, section clergy are proceeding vexation from parishioners.

"It's conscionable a magical clip for the community, but this period has been truly hard to beryllium successful the Church of England due to the fact that of each that's going on. It's an instauration that's astir apt successful situation really," said Rev Matt Woodcock, vicar astatine St Stephen's Church successful York.

"There is simply a consciousness that radical consciousness truly confused and disappointed with what's going on, and conscionable longing for immoderate enactment to get things sorted out," helium says, adding that helium has often felt the request to apologise for the instauration to which helium belongs.

Rev Woodcock says that this Christmas helium is focussing connected reassuring radical that the Church is inactive determination to enactment them astatine the section level.

But 1 pistillate has told of her profound disappointment astatine the effect of the nationalist Church enactment to the maltreatment she says she faced.

The woman, who does not privation to beryllium identified, says she was sexually abused arsenic a miss successful the 1980s by Tudor.

She lone discovered past twelvemonth that Tudor had been allowed backmost into the Church aft suspension and had served arsenic a clergyman for 9 years nether Mr Cottrell.

"I volition find it hard to perceive to [a Christmas sermon from] Stephen Cottrell and not abstracted the connection that he's putting crossed from what I know," she says.

A BBC Investigation revealed that erstwhile helium became Bishop of Chelmsford successful 2010, Mr Cottrell was told astir maltreatment allegations against Tudor, a clergyman who was banned from being unsocial with children.

Mr Cottrell was aboriginal told helium had paid an alleged victim, and the Church besides settled a six-figure sum with different pistillate who said she had been abused by Tudor, but Tudor was lone suspended successful 2019 erstwhile a constabulary probe was launched.

The Archbishop said that that had been his archetypal accidental to act.

"I conscionable consciousness that Stephen Cottrell hasn't truly thought astir however victims would consciousness [that helium is] the dependable of the Church moving into Christmas," she says.

"All I spot is simply a antheral that has fto maine and galore victims down," says the pistillate who adds that the Church failed to explicate to her however Tudor had returned to the priesthood.

The pistillate talked of this being a peculiarly hard Christmas for her due to the fact that it was her archetypal without her grandma who died earlier this year.

"When she recovered retired what David Tudor had done to maine she ne'er acceptable ft successful a religion again. She knew what was close and wrong, she felt compassion for maine and instantly knew what to do," she says.

"It is successful implicit opposition to the actions of the Church."

Tudor was arrested successful April 2019 connected suspicion of indecent battle but the lawsuit was dropped successful August 2022.

He was sacked arsenic a clergyman this October aft admitting intersexual misconduct to a Church of England tribunal.

Surrey Police said past period they would reappraisal allegations of "non-recent indecent battle offences" against a antheral successful the airy of the tribunal's findings.

Tudor has not responded to immoderate of the BBC's requests for comment.