Demoralised clergy speak of church in freefall and crisis of trust in run-up to governing body meeting

Mutiny may be in the air when the Church of England’s normally staid ruling body, the General Synod, meets for a five-day session next week.

The gathering of the 500-member church parliament follows a series of tumultuous events that have resulted in the unprecedented resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury, repeated calls for the archbishop of York to stand down, and the sudden departure of the bishop of Liverpool. Behind all are cases of abuse, alleged abuse and the church’s failure to deal with abuse.

Stephen Cottrell delivers Christmas sermon in place of Justin Welby, who will step down as de facto head of church

The archbishop of York has highlighted the need for actions more than words in his Christmas sermon, as the Church of England faces criticism over failures in its handling of recent abuse scandals.

Stephen Cottrell, who will become the temporary leader of the Church in England in early January in place of the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the church must “kneel in penitence and adoration” this Christmas and “be changed”.