Furious bishop blasts Archbishop of York's Christmas message as 'empty words' after child abuse scandal

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'. Mr Cottrell will effectively become temporary leader of the Church in England next month, in place of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, but has also faced calls to resign. The Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley has criticised the Christmas Day sermon delivered by the Archbishop of York She described his suggestion that the Church of England needs to change as 'empty words' The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the Church should 'kneel in penitence' as it continues to face criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals Ms Hartley questioned how Mr Cottrell could have any credibility, and Bishop of Gloucester Rachel Treweek declined to publicly back him. The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, left, will become temporary leader of the Church in England in place of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, right Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin is giving the Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced last month that he would resign Referring to the musical My Fair Lady, he pointed to the example of Eliza Doolittle, who he said is 'utterly exasperated by the empty promises' of someone.