Newcastle Cathedral has cancelled a visit by the Archbishop of York.
Most Rev Stephen Cottrell had been scheduled to speak there on 18th September as part of his Lord’s Prayer Tour visiting cathedrals, churches and schools across the north of England.
But following criticism of the way he has handled historic disclosures of abuse, the Cathedral’s Dean and Chapter voted unanimously to cancel his visit.
In a statement to Premier, Very Rev Lee Batson said: “As Dean of Newcastle, I am deeply proud of the Cathedral’s ongoing ministry to those who have suffered abuse in their lives. It was this that informed the unanimous decision made solely by the Dean and Chapter to inform the Archbishop that we will not be hosting him as part of his Lord’s Prayer tour. This decision was made independently by the Cathedral’s governing body and applies specifically to this event. The well-being of survivors remains our highest priority, and Newcastle Cathedral will always strive to put them first."
The Bishop of Newcastle has been an outspoken critic of Archbishop Stephen since the Makin review into the Church of England’s handling of abuse by the late Christian barrister John Smyth.
Earlier this year, Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley called for Archbishop Cottrell to resign saying she believes he is the “wrong person" to be leading the church in the wake of ongoing safeguarding scandals.
The archbishop is in temporary charge until a successor to Justin Welby is appointed in the Autumn. Bishop Justin resigned in November after fallout from the Makin review.
The cancellation means that Archbishop Stephen will now visit eleven, rather than twelve cathedrals across the North of England this year.
The tour is part of his vision for his ‘Faith in the North’ project and will see him speaking and sharing the importance and relevance of the Lord's Prayer, encouraging people to pray and live by this as part of their missionary discipleship