General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Catherine Elizabeth Arkell
Candidate for House of Laity General Synod – Diocese in Europe
Nominators: Julie Cole (Diocesan Synod Representative for Italy and Malta and Archdeaconry Environmental Officer for Italy and Malta) and Bernadette Williams (Deanery Synod Representative, St Mark’s, Florence)
Worship Coordinator and Area Synod Representative at Holy Cross Bologna, Italy
BA HONS Applied Languages and TEFL, University of Portsmouth
As a clergy daughter I have seen firsthand the changes in the Church of England over the last 40 years. I am very aware of many of the problems of the worldwide Church as well as our completely unique situation here in the Diocese in Europe. As an English teacher, with a background in languages and linguistics, my life is based on communication with children, teenagers and adults of all settings. I am very aware of complex communicative needs in different contexts and have little fear of public speaking and believe this would make me an ideal candidate for General Synod.
I currently serve as the Worship Coordinator at Holy Cross, Bologna which means I help organise our services and communicate with members of the public. I have a good background in liturgy, am a member of our choir and led all our services online during the various COVID lockdowns and have frequently led services when we have had spur-of-the-moment problems with clergy for our services. I am also the Deanery Synod Representative, Electoral Roll Secretary, Environmental Officer and until recently I was the PCC Secretary.
Having grown up in the Church of England I am aware of the need for younger female representatives at every level within the Church in order to represent a true demographic of our congregations. It is undoubtedly true that the Church has been going through some important changes in recent years but that God’s love should be a unifying factor for us all as we look to the future.
I am particularly interested in the unity and growth of the Church in such an evolving and fast paced society and that is also part of my job. How to maintain and develop traditional contact with people in a world of AI and sitting behind our screens whilst Safeguarding our most vulnerable members is without doubt a core value of mine. My particular interests would be in Parish and Chaplaincy resourcing, ensuring that clergy are sufficiently supported in their roles. Given the climatic catastrophes of recent years and in particular this summer, Environmental Stewardship and Hope for All Creation should be major topics for us all and is something that I take a keen interest in. My belief in equal human rights for all means that I would also keenly focus on Living in Love and Faith (and Reconciliation) which involves complex issues that I hope to handle with grace, respect, prayerfulness and care.
On a personal level what my faith means for me is a family, a home away from home, a support network, a place where everyone is welcome. I believe that the Church of England should always be based on love and inclusion and whilst we do have so many parts of our Church that are so different, I argue that our differences are what make us so unique, that indeed is why I love the Church of England. I am deeply committed to the mission, governance and flourishing of the Church, and it would be a privilege to serve our diocese on General Synod in order to ensure our churches, congregations and communities in the Diocese in Europe are given a clear, active and constructive voice at General Synod level.

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