The Bishop of Newcastle has criticised the Christmas Day sermon delivered by the Archbishop of York, describing his suggestion that the Church of England needs to change as “empty words”. Stephen Cottrell said the Church should “kneel in penitence” as it continues to face criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals.

The Bishop of Newcastle has branded the Archbishop of York's Christmas Day sermon "empty words" after he said the Church of England needs to "kneel in penitence" and "be changed". Responding to the sermon in a post on X, Bishop Helen Ann-Hartley said: "Empty words. I have no words more than that to describe their meaning."

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Following the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell is to become the temporary leader of the Church of England next month. Dr Welby stood down in November after a damning report exposed a “conspiracy of silence” about the abuse of children and young men perpetrated by barrister John Smyth.