ARCHBISHOP of York Stephen Cottrell is “the wrong person” to be leading the Church of England following Justin Welby’s resignation over safeguarding failures, Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley said today.

She cited Mr Cottrell’s “abhorrent” comments about disgraced former priest David Tudor and repeated her calls for him resign from his role as the church’s acting head.

As Mr Cottrell prepared to address the church’s General Synod, also known as its parliament, in central London, Right Rev Hartley said: “I do not think that it’s appropriate for the Archbishop of York to be in post and certainly to be leading change that the church needs at this time.”

He has faced calls to quit since taking over most of Mr Welby’s responsibilities following the latter’s resignation as archbishop of Canterbury early last month.

Mr Welby quit after the Makin review published its damning findings last November, exposing a series of failings in the handling of allegations against Christian camp leader and serial abuser John Smyth.

Mr Cottrell has since been accused of not acting quickly enough when he was bishop of Chelmsford against Mr 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.

Ms Hartley said: “I think for him to have allowed that to be the case, to allow Tudor to remain in post, I do find abhorrent.”

Mr Cottrell told the General Synod that the Anglican church was facing “difficult and challenging times” and that he was “deeply mindful of the feelings of anguish, anger, sadness, and regret” among survivors of abuse and their supporters.