THE Church “remains divided” at the end of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, partly because the Bishops “over-promised” on what they could bring to the table, the Archbishop of York told the General Synod on Tuesday afternoon.
He was one of five bishops to give a presentation, alongside the Dean of Bristol, on the conclusion of the years-long process on provisions for same-sex couples in church. Last month, the House of Bishops announced that this process would come to an “imperfect” and “untidy” end (News, 14 January), meaning that they would not propose stand-alone blessings for same-sex couples or measures to remove the ban on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages at this meeting of the Synod.
Archbishop Cottrell, who is the chair of the LLF programme board, hoped that the presentation would provide clarity on how and why this journey had come to an end. “I know many of us would rather not be talking about LLF. I know many of you are feeling hurt, angry, confused, perhaps bitterly disappointed about where we are.
“And one thing we all know is that we remain divided over these issues, and I am deeply sorry for that, but what I do rejoice in is that we continue to hold on to one another.”
He wished, he said, to look to the future and consider “how these conversations will continue”.
Archbishop Cottrell said that, although the House of Bishops had spent a lot of time discussing what proposals they might bring to the Synod, this had not, with hindsight, been enough time.
“When we came in 2023, even though we came with great unanimity, I think it very quickly became clear that actually we had different understandings of what we were bringing, and perhaps weren’t honest with ourselves about the fact that we weren’t united — that has become clear. It’s been a sober thing to learn, but perhaps it’s better and more honest for us to say.”
Geoff Crawford/Church TimesThe interim Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, speaks about the working groups and the benefits of these having been in person
The interim Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, spoke about the LLF working groups and the benefits of these having been in person, where members “worshipped and ate together”.
Archbishop Cottrell agreed that these groups had “worked well” because they were residential. He stressed the importance of praying together, and said that often, at the Synod, “my heart always sinks a bit when it comes to prayers and the chamber sometimes empties.”
The Bishop in Europe, Dr Robert Innes, and the Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, then spoke about the scrapping of the document Issues in Human Sexuality (News, 15 July 2025), PLF, and the Faith and Order Commission (FAOC).
Archbishop Cottrell said: “These have not been easy or straightforward things to make decisions on. There are still many areas where we have not reached agreement.”
He continued: “To speak well of one another, even when we disagree, to learn about how painful it is when Christians find themselves in disagreement over these things, that’s a lesson we need to continually learn.”
After the presentation, there was opportunity for questions.
Busola Sodeinde (London) acknowledged the positives raised in the presentation and asked: “At what point would the bishops provide the pastoral difference in terms of having a separate space and differentiation in how we live out the expression of this theology?”
Archbishop Cottrell responded: “Pastoral provision is proportionate to the change that is or isn’t made, and that continues to be the principle. Though, of course, what is proportionate is itself contested, but that is how we’re working.”
Vicky Brett (Peterborough) asked what threshold of evidence would trigger a safeguarding action, and who would be accountable when a young person was harmed emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually by church processes.
Archbishop Cottrell said that this was a “deeply serious question to which I don’t want to give a short, inadequate answer”.
He continued: “I know the reality of the situations you’re describing because I’ve had conversations with people for whom that has been their lived reality. I’m sure all of us would want to do all that we can to minister to and prevent that happening, but I feel as if that needs a conversation. I hope you will keep bearing witness to that bit of the story.”
A motion on LLF is due to be debated by the Synod on Thursday afternoon.