The Church of England needs to "kneel in penitence" and "be changed", the Archbishop of York has said in his Christmas Day sermon. It comes at a challenging time for the Church, which has faced criticism over how it handled a number of abuse scandals.

The Bishop of Newcastle has criticised the Christmas Day sermon delivered by the Archbishop of York, describing his suggestion that the Church of England needs to change as “empty words”. Stephen Cottrell said the Church should “kneel in penitence” as it continues to face criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals.

Following the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell is to become the temporary leader of the Church of England next month. Dr Welby stood down in November after a damning report exposed a “conspiracy of silence” about the abuse of children and young men perpetrated by barrister John Smyth.

A Church of England bishop has branded the Archbishop of York's Christmas Day sermon as "empty words" amid ongoing abuse scandals within the institution. Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley delivered the stinging rebuke on social media following Stephen Cottrell's address at York Minster.