As Archbishop of York for the past four years, Stephen Cottrell has been the Church of England’s second-in-command.
But in less than a fortnight he will take temporary charge, in place of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is officially stepping down in early January over failures in handling the John Smyth abuse scandal.
Mr Cottrell has acknowledged he is “the person that people will look to” over the coming months as the Church seeks to find a new Archbishop of Canterbury – but has recently faced his own calls to quit over a separate abuse case.
Mr Cottrell, in his then-role as bishop of Chelmsford, has been accused of not acting quickly enough over priest David Tudor, who was allowed to remain in post despite having been barred by the Church from being alone with children and having paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (left) with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during the General Synod (James Manning/PA)
The archbishop apologised this month after a BBC investigation, saying he was sorry he was “not able to take action earlier”, but insisted he had inherited a “horrible and intolerable” situation, and “acted immediately” when fresh complaints were made about Tudor in 2019, adding he had “no legal grounds” to suspend him before then.
Appearing to reject calls to resign over the case, Mr Cottrell pledged that he would “do what I can” to bring about independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the Church.
He acknowledged earlier this week that things “could have been handled differently” after revelations Tudor was twice reappointed under him while he was serving as bishop of Chelmsford.
According to a fresh BBC investigation, Tudor’s contract as area dean in Essex was renewed in both 2013 and 2018.
However a spokeswoman for Mr Cottrell said no one advised him at the time that Tudor should not continue as an area dean and she added that even had he not continued in that role, it would not have meant he was removed as parish priest.
Mr Cottrell insisted his focus at the time had been on understanding, assessing and managing the risk around the priest.
Mr Cottrell became the 98th Archbishop of York in 2020, having begun training for ministry at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, in 1981 and being ordained deacon aged 25.
He was born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in 1958 and is described on the Archbishop of York’s official website as having “found faith” as a teenager through youth organisations in his local church.
Mr Cottrell had a “brief spell” working in the film industry as well as at St Christopher’s Hospice in south London.
He previously served as Bishop of Reading, before taking on the Chelmsford role in 2010.
On being appointed Archbishop of York, Mr Cottrell stated it is “the job of the Church” to hold the Government to account.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (left) has been the Church’s second-in-command to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (Richard Heathcote/PA)
The archbishop said the country had been “defined” by how it voted in the 2016 EU referendum, but was about to “enter into a new chapter in our life together” by leaving the European Union.
He said: “We’re not just one nation, we’re also one humanity and it’s reminding our politicians of those truths.”
During his time as the Church’s second-most senior bishop, Mr Cottrell described as “trench warfare” the process since blessings for same-sex couples were approved – a move he supported.
He has acknowledged that “divisions run deep” on the subject and, speaking at the General Synod in July about it, made a reference to the Christmas Truce in 1914 of the Second World War.
He said: “Synod, after what has I think for all of us felt like 18 months of trench warfare on this issue, I just wonder whether the time has come to put down our rifles and could I suggest a little game of football in no man’s land?”
In February 2023, Synod voted in favour of offering blessings to same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages after a marathon debate across two days.
Speaking in 2019, Mr Cottrell said the Church “seeks to welcome all people, including therefore LGBTI+ people, including people in civil partnerships and same-sex marriages”, and that he regrets “a situation where anybody because of their sexuality feels excluded or alienated or hurt in the way that I know some people are”.
Mr Cottrell is married to Rebecca, a potter, with whom he has three sons and two grandchildren.
His interests include writing – he has authored more than 20 books including children’s books – and walking, having undertaken several walking pilgrimages, while he is also a keen Tottenham Hotspur fan.
After January 6, many of the usual official functions of the Archbishop of Canterbury will be delegated to him.