Justin Welby resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury over abuse scandal
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned on Tuesday following a review revealing that senior church leaders, including himself, had covered up the abuse of over 100 boys and young men.
The abuse was perpetrated by John Smyth, a British lawyer who led Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s.
The independent review, released last week, found that despite repeated efforts to expose Smyth’s actions, the Church of England failed to take proper action, allowing the abuse to continue both in the UK and abroad. Smyth, who died in 2018, was never held accountable.
In his resignation statement, Welby expressed deep regret, calling the Church’s historic safeguarding failures a source of profound shame.
Welby admitted that he first learned about the abuse allegations in 2013, the same year he became Archbishop, but acknowledged that his efforts to investigate and address the situation were insufficient.
He said, “For nearly 12 years, I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”
The Archbishop’s resignation came amid growing criticism from victims and other church leaders.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, remarked, “I think, rightly, people are asking the question: ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no.’”
Survivor Andrew Morse, who was among those abused by Smyth as a teenager, had called for Welby’s resignation. He criticized the Archbishop’s handling of the situation, stating that had Welby acted decisively in 2013, further abuse could have been prevented.
Morse said, “Welby’s admission that in 2013, which is really modern-day in comparison to the 1970s and 1980s, he didn’t do enough, that he wasn’t rigorous… is enough in my mind to confirm that Justin Welby, along with countless other Anglican churchmen, were part of a cover-up about the abuse,” Morse told the BBC.
The scandal has cast a long shadow over Welby’s tenure, which included officiating high-profile events such as the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and delivering the sermon at Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.
His resignation marked a pivotal moment for the Church of England as it grapples with the legacy of abuse scandals and attempts to restore trust among its followers.
Welby concluded his statement by acknowledging the profound impact of the review’s findings, noting the pain endured by the victims and the failure of the Church to protect those in its care.
“I am so sorry that in places where these young men and boys should have felt safe and where they should have experienced God’s love for them, they were subjected to physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse,” he said.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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