I had a choice, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, told me bluntly. I could carry on being a “shouty person” calling for safeguarding reform, in which case I would be ignored; or I could be brought to the tent and work quietly to improve safeguarding from within.
The ultimatum was given to me on 30 March 2022 in one of the meeting rooms in Lambeth Palace. We were both there for a meeting of the Anglican Primates – the 45 most senior archbishops, presiding bishops and moderators of the global Anglican Communion.
The Archbishop of York traditionally attends these meetings as the Primate of England, to represent the Church of England. This arrangement allows the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to focus on his international role as primus inter pares of the Anglican Communion’s primates.
I was there because, at the time, I was the director of communications for the Anglican Communion. As part of the senior leadership team of the Anglican Communion Office, my role was to help facilitate the meeting, which was primarily looking ahead to the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops, which was to be held in Canterbury later in the year; and also to help with the process of drafting and disseminating the primate’s communiqué.
In their communique, the primates spoke of the “dangerous impact” of fake news, and said: “We call on everyone – especially politicians, campaigners and all Christian people – to reflect on the commandment not to bear false witness and to adopt this commandment when making public statements.”
Perhaps the Archbishop of York should have reflected on this more deeply as he prepared his subsequent public utterances on the ongoing safeguarding scandals in the Church of England.
The archbishop’s ultimatum to me was said in a private meeting, late at the end of one of the day’s business sessions. We were meeting to “smooth the waters” after I had published a blog highlighting the safeguarding failures of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt Revd Paul Williams, and the Archbishop of York’s decision to dismiss my complaint despite clear evidence that Williams had acted contrary to good practice and in a way specifically forbidden in the Church of England’s safeguarding policies.
I had become only too aware that Cottrell likes to speak fine words when it comes to safeguarding, but does very little to put those words into actions.
Very little surprises me know about the national Church of England’s safeguarding failures. I have seen too much to be shocked by every subsequent revelation. But I was shocked by Cottrell’s Christmas Day sermon, in which he spoke of the need to not just talk about justice, but to show it. “Words, words, words! I’m so sick of words! I get words all day through, first from him, now from you”, he said, quoting Eliza Doolittle (Oh, the irony of quoting “Do Little” at a time such as this).
What a hypocrite!
He displayed the same hypocritical approach during a speech in the House of Lords on 23 July, just days after he was forced to apologise himself for misleading the General Synod. He said of the government: “there has been an erosion of respect for the rule of law, of convention, of the weighty responsibility to tell the truth”.
That “weighty responsibility to tell the truth” didn’t bother him when he spoke in response to BBC Radio Four’s File on Four expose of the Revd Canon David Tudor, who was kept on in Chelmsford, when Cottrell was the bishops there, despite being known as a child sex offender.
The local education authority had banned Tudor from going to any schools in the county, but the Church was quite happy for him to remain Rector of Canvey Island. In a statement about the File on Four expose, Cottrell said that he found the situation “horrible and intolerable”.
He said: “This morning’s news coverage incorrectly implies that no action was taken until 2024. That is not the case. In my capacity as Bishop of Chelmsford, I suspended David Tudor from office at the first opportunity, when a new victim came forward to the police in 2019.”
Except it transpired that this was another lie from Cottrell. He didn’t suspend David Tudor at the first opportunity; he renewed his licence as area dean – not once, but twice. And he voluntarily made him an honorary canon of Chelmsford Cathedral.
Cottrell’s response to the later revelations was to admit – through a spokesperson – that “this could have been handled differently.”
Tomorrow, Cottrell becomes the most senior cleric in the Church of England. The Archbishops’ Council, the body that manages the national church institutions, will seek to use Justin Welby’s resignation as a chance to move the narrative on.
But victims and survivors of church-related abuse, and those who advocate for them, know all too well just how deeply involved Cottrell is in the mismanagement of safeguarding fiascos.
The Church of England will not be able to move on from its safeguarding fiasco while it is led by an archbishop with a track record of lies and obfuscation, when what is most needed is transparency and accountability.
And he should ask himself why there are so many “shouty people” when it comes to the Church of England’s approach to safeguarding? Is it because the quiet people are fed up of being ignored, whitewashed and gaslighted?
Until the Church of England really listens to victims, survivors and their advocates, and takes proper decisive action to root out abusers and those who cover up for them, I will continue to be a shouty person. And I make no apology for being one.
The Archbishop of York can choose to ignore me – and others – if he wants to. But perhaps if the Church had listened when people spoke quietly, and again when they felt forced to be shouty, perhaps Justin Welby wouldn’t be standing down as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church wouldn’t be in this crisis of its own making.
The sheet arrogance of these remarks has left me almost breathless. ‘Shouty people’ is an indication of a contempt for people who lack the privileged background or the good fortune to be able to express themselves in the dulcet tones of ‘tea with the Archdeacon’. It shows an innate sense of superiority over people who are so angry that they can barely express themselves because they are so overwhelmed and feel utterly ignored.
This is also almost like asking a rape victim to scream for help more quietly because it is upsetting the servants and the pet dog.
If nothing else marks Cottrell unfit for office, then this does. He is a snob who is comfortable in his own intellectual superiority.
Revd Alex Frost has publicised a bill he is bringing to the General Synod in February to help more working-class people to enter the priesthood. This comment by Cottrell should be worth another 100 votes in favour of getting rid of these people who consider themselves superior to their flocks.
In Matthew 20 Jesus heard 2 ‘shouty’ people and responded to them
In Judges 3 the Israelites shouted to the Lord for deliverance and He delivered them.
The writer of Psalm 18 called to the Lord in distress and He heard them. IN fact there is a lot of calling to the Lord in the Psalms. Gosh, all these ‘shouty’ people.
What a good thing God isn’t an Anglican.
Maybe we need more ‘shouty’ people and fewer smug, discreet people who like to wring their hands quietly but do nothing. Or if you listen to the debate in York in July 2023 you can hear him telling the Chair of the item about the Independent Safeguarding Board to emphasise that it wasn’t >>his<< fault that Steve Reeves and Jas Sanghera weren't going to be allowed to defend themselves against the lies being told about them. Was this because he thought they would be 'shouty' people.
And maybe we need a different Archbishop in York as well as in Canterbury- one who hears the shouts of distress as opposed to the Cottrell 'hush hush' approach and doesn't spend his life expressing regret for his past misdeeds – very quietly obviously.
Go and watch Les Miserables – Do you hear the people sing, singing the songs of angry men ?
More than 35,000 people have signed a petition for Cottrell to go. Clearly they are too shouty for him to listen to.
I am so sorry for tbe victims and people advocating for them. Its so bad, but sorry its inevitabke Stephen Cottrell will stay supported by regular C of E members and hierarchy.
He and they don’t listen to anyone, shouty or otherwise. Our comments, however they are expressed, are not directed at the C of E anymore, but to our friends, families and followers. Our aim is to alert those who might think of attending and giving, to the dangers to our children, young people and to ourselves of putting ourselves in their “care”.
Other people ARE listening and voting with their feet.
I suspect that at this stage it’s too late for Cotterell to resign. It would cause more problems for the powers that be to keep it going. He should have gone several weeks ago. By staying and becoming the temporary head we have a compromised Church of England with no popular authority.