LONDON- Stephen Cottrell is soon to become the new Archbishop of York. The 61-year old Anglican Bishop is a women clergy supporter and a stern nuclear weapon opponent.
This position is the Church of England’s second senior-most clergyman, right behind the Canterbury Archbishop. Cottrell is to replace John Sentamu who is looking to retire soon.
Cottrell is extremely vocal in extending his support to the women clergy and has opened the Church’s doors to everyone regardless of sexuality. He is eager to be “a voice for the North” and looks forward to addressing wealth and opportunity which is usually in favour of the South.
Cottrell had a brief stint in the film industry before getting ordained in 1985. He moved his way from ministry in southeast London to the Chichester dioceses and Wakefield up North. In 2004, he took the position of openly gay priest Jeffrey John after Rowan Williams (the then Archbishop of Canterbury) forced John to step down. Since 2010, Cottrell has been the bishop of Chelmsford in eastern England.
This April, Cottrell opposed a Westminister Abbey proposal of service in celebration of 50 years of UK’s nuclear deterrents patrol and he was one of the co-signers. He states that in no circumstances must this ever be used.
Cottrell’s appointment was warmly welcomed by Sentamu who is Britain’s first black archbishop. “He has the Gospel in his belly and a tiger in his tank,” Sentamu said of Cotrell.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.