THE group of sessions had “mostly been a gracious, thoughtful, and reflective week”, the Archbishop of York said at the start of the farewells. He thanked the Business Committee for their work, which had been complicated by several debates running on much longer than had been expected.

Archbishop Cottrell paid tribute to his “dear brother in Christ”, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Revd Justin Welby. He exemplified “service and sacrifice”, and “prayer was the heartbeat of his life,” Archbishop Cottrell said. Bishop Welby had also been a champion of reconciliation, “that most Christian of virtues”, he said

“We know it’s been a difficult time, but I believe we should all pay tribute to Justin and Caroline, his wife,” Archbishop Cottrell said.

A new way of doing the farewells was being trialled in an attempt to make them more succinct, and so members were asked to applaud only at the end.

The former Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous, was thanked. A former Conservative MP for South West Bedfordshire, Mr Selous had served for four years, representing the Church of England in the House of Commons. In this time, he had answered more than 400 questions from MPs, Archbishop Cottrell said.

The next farewell was to the outgoing chief executive of the Church Commissioners, Gareth Mostyn. Under his watch, the Church’s investment portfolio had grown, and the amount paid out to the Church had increased by 50 per cent, Archbishop Cottrell said.

The Archbishop then thanked the former Third Church Estates Commissioner, Dr Flora Winfield, joking that he had “stolen” her, as she was now the Suffragan Bishop of Selby, in his diocese. Achievements during her time as Third Commissioner included all 41 cathedrals’ becoming registered charities, he said.

Finally, Archbishop Cottrell thanked the Vicar-General of the Province of York, the Rt Worshipful Peter Collier KC, who had “contributed immensely to the life of the Church”, in particular in work on the Clergy Conduct Measure.