Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury Resigns After Scathing Report on Handling Abuse Scandal within Church of England. Under mounting pressure and public outcry, Archbishop Justin Welby finally resigned over his failure to expose earlier when the abuse that the young boys had suffered at the hands of John Smyth in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Makin Report and Rising Pressure for Accountability
Welby said he sought permission from King Charles to step down, acknowledging the church’s delayed response to the horrific abuses perpetrated by Smyth. The abuses are said to involve up to 130 victims in the summer camps where Smyth served as a lay preacher and barrister in his hands.
The Makin Review, an independent report, was scathing against the church for failing to report Smyth to the authorities when the church first became aware of sexual abuse. The report showed that it was a lost opportunity to have Smyth held accountable since Welby was informed of the allegations in 2013. Welby admitted in his resignation letter that he had made a mistake by thinking police action had been enough in the first instance.
“When I was told in 2013 and that the police had been informed, I thought mistakenly that a proper conclusion would follow,” Welby wrote. He accepted the severe inability to act and held himself responsible for the excessive length of time that the victims had to endure: “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” he said.
Long History of Abuse and Failure to Act:
The scandal centers on John Smyth, an unordained church barrister, who ran these abusive “summer camps” in which he sadistically and sexually motivatedly beat up young boys. The abuse allegedly continued into the 1980s in Africa where it is said another 85 to 100 boys met with him there. He died in 2018 while under investigation, but he was never brought to justice.
Welby’s resignation came in the wake of the investigations, including the Makin Review, which ended by deeming the handling of the abuse cases by the church as woefully inadequate. According to Makin’s report, Welby and the church authorities could have prevented the further abuse if they had acted on the initial reports that started emerging in the 2010s.
Church Heads’ Reactions After Welby’s Resignation
It is a big step towards rectifying the deep systemic concerns within the Church of England as it would relate to Archbishop Welby’s resignation. Lead safeguarding bishop Dr. Joanne Grenfell, who is the Bishop of Stepney, finds that while she understood his need to go down, there is much yet to be done in reforming the church. “It is now for others to take up the baton,” Grenfell said.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley added that Welby’s position became untenable following the release of the Makin report. According to her, the church must regain public trust, especially on matters concerning abuse and safeguarding. “It’s very difficult for the Church of England to continue to claim a moral voice when we cannot even manage our own house with regard to something as critically important as abuse,” Hartley said.
A Call for Reform and Accountability
In his resignation letter, Welby, 68, described the deep damage done to the victims. “As I step down, I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse,” he wrote. He also said by resigning he wanted to express the commitment of the Church of England toward reforming and creating a safer environment for everyone.
His departure date is yet to be known but would be confirmed after reviewing his remaining responsibilities in the Anglican Communion, said Welby.
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