The Church of England's second most senior cleric Stephen Cottrell will call in a Christmas sermon on Wednesday for repentance and change within an institution reeling from child abuse cover-up scandals.

This year's festivities have been overshadowed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's resignation over a cover-up and accusations of further safeguarding failures by his number two Cottrell, who is the Archbishop of York.

In addition to its 16,000 churches in England, the Church, which traces its roots to the Roman Empire, is also the mother church for 85 million Anglicans in over 165 countries.

"Right now, this Christmas, God's Church itself needs to come to the manger and strip off her finery and kneel in penitence and adoration.

"And be changed," Cottrell will say at York Minster in northern England, according to extracts shared by his office.

Welby, who stepped down in November following a report that he had failed to take sufficient action to stop prolific sex abuser John Smyth, will not deliver the main Christmas sermon at the historic Canterbury Cathedral.