The language in the Lord’s Prayer might be “problematic” for some people, the archbishop of York said Friday during his address to a meeting of the Church of England’s ruling body.
The Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, was specifically referring to the words “Our Father,” which opens the prayer that Jesus taught when his disciples asked him how they should pray.
“I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive, and for all of us who have labored rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life,” Cottrell said in his address.
Cottrell is the second-most senior bishop of the church and the most senior in northern England, where he serves as the leader of 12 dioceses. Alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Cottrell is a leading spokesperson on behalf of the Church of England.
His comments were applauded by some members of the clergy, The Guardian reported.
The Rev. Christina Rees, a former synod member who advocates for female bishops, said the archbishop had “put his finger on an issue that’s a really live issue for Christians and has been for many years.”
“The big question is, do we really believe that God believes that male human beings bear His image more fully and accurately than women?” she asked. “The answer is absolutely not.”
The remarks, however, also sparked criticism on social media, with many users accusing Cottrell of being a “total muppet,” “pathetic” and a “joke.”
The controversial far-right portal Breitbart slammed his comments as “the woke Church of England’s latest assault on the tenets of the Christian religion.”
Considered the original church of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England represents over 85 million people in more than 165 countries.
