New Archbishop of York to be confirmed

Bishop Stephen Geoffrey Cottrell will be confirmed as the 98th Archbishop of York this month.

The service, at 11am on Thursday 9th July, will be broadcast entirely via video conference due to the Coronavirus restrictions.

The service, which had been due to take place in York Minster, will be in two parts. A legal ceremony with readings, prayers and music, will be followed by a film marking the start of Bishop Stephen’s ministry as Archbishop of York.

Bishop Stephen Cottrell says: “I am looking forward to beginning my ministry as the 98th Archbishop of York. This isn’t quite how I imagined it would begin. It is certainly the first time an Archbishop’s election will have been confirmed via video conference. But we’re all having to re-imagine how we live our lives and how we inhabit the world.

“These are difficult times. My hope is that through this service the love of God that is given us in Jesus Christ will shine out, perhaps even to those who while never attending a service in York Minster, might have a look online

Following in the footsteps of my many predecessors, I look forward to serving our nation and bringing the love and peace of Christ to our world, especially here in the north.”

The service will be available on the Church of England website. Arrangements for Bishop Stephen’s enthronement service will be announced later in the year.