Cottrell ‘ disturbed’ by Sentamu peerage snub
Clergyman’s vision of a new humanity
A SIGNIFICANT moment in history was marked with an extraordinary message of faith and resolve as Stephen Cottrell was enthroned as the 98th Archbishop of York.
The second most senior clergyman in the Church of England, formally elected in July, took his oath on the Gospels in a service of evensong. His job is to serve and to lead, he said in his first sermon, in a society that “cries out” to inhabit the world “in ways which draw us together rather than tear us apart”.
Calling for a more humble church, to share a message of common humanity, he said: “This isn’t a throne, it is a seat at the table where everybody is invited.”
The enthronement ceremony came amid mounting calls for a peerage for his predecessor John Sentamu, who served as Britain’s first black archbishop. The 71- year- old would traditionally have been granted a life peerage to the House of Lords but, according to The Sunday Times, Downing Street has broken precedent with an “extraordinary” snub in this round, stating it needs to slim down the Upper House.
Archbishop Cottrell was among those calling for the decision to be rectified, saying he was “disturbed” at the revelation.
Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis echoed his sentiment, saying: “John Sentamu is a massive force for good, who has so much more to give.”
DECLARING A vision of a common humanity at his enthronement service, the 98th Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, called on the nation’s embrace with a message of shared hope.
As he took his oath to stand as the Church of England’s second most senior clergyman, the Archbishop spoke of a duty to confront difficult truths and of easing community divides.
He addressed those gathered at the Minster’s evensong service in a smaller ceremony than would normally be held and spoke of celebration and change and of a great tireless resolve.
The greatest revolution in the English church, he said, is to embrace Jesus’ s teachings, and in letting go of pomposity and privilege to become a humbler church, offering safety, acceptance and love through the dark days of what will be a difficult winter ahead.
“It is this vision of a new humanity and the church as a school of love and a servant to the nation that I declare today,” he said.
“I pledge to give myself to this happy task. It is good news for the world and may indeed be the only hope for the world at this aw
ful moment in our history. This is how we will build up the ancient ruins in our own day.”
Following the election ceremony in July to replace John Sentamu, father- of- three Archbishop Stephen followed the custom of knocking three times on the west door of the Minster with the Braganza crozier, his staff of office, before the door was thrown open.
Such a ceremony would normally be one of great fanfare and grandeur, with well- wishers in jubilant celebration and prayer.
However, this time, as he took his seat on the Nave’s Garbett Throne, it was strictly ticketed, streamed live on social media, with many of his own family unable to attend.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, the Archbishop said he grieves for these things, standing alongside all those who have cancelled or postponed celebrations.
“Compared to the greater suffering in the world, and to the people on the front line caring for those that are ill, it is a small thing,” he said.
In recent months, the Archbishop said he has taken to sitting in the Minster to consider the East Window, depicting the Book of Revelation’s vision of a “new heaven and a new earth”.
“It says there that ‘ every tear will be wiped away’,” he said. “We have all seen so many tears this year, tears of sorrow and sadness, and tears of frustration.
“I’ve sat and looked at this, time and again, and thought ‘ there will be a day when these tears are wiped away’. My job is as a messenger of this hope, even if I have to do it in unusual ways. I think we can do it. I believe in human goodness and human resolve.”