Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over Church abuse scandal

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned following increasing pressures to stand down over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth.

The former Coventry and Nuneaton clergyman stood down after the independent Makin review found Welby and other church officials failed to formally report Smyth to police in 2013.

John Smyth, a barrister and lay preacher, used his role in a Christian charity to assault dozens of young boys in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, some of which he met at Christian camps. Smyth later moved to Zimbabwe, and then South Africa, where he abused up to 100 boys, the Makin review added.

“I think rightly people are asking the question ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?”

Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle

According to the review published earlier this month, police were not told about Smyth’s crimes for over 30 years due to an “active cover-up” inside the Church of England. By 2013, the Church of England was aware “at the highest level” of Smyth’s crimes, including Mr Welby, who assumed the Church’s top position that same year.

The Church’s complicity and neglect resulted in increased scrutiny aimed at the former Coventry and Nuneaton clergyman. The independent review critiqued Welby for “allowing abuse to continue” between 2013 and 2018 when Smyth died.

Many of the Church’s most senior members called on Mr Welby to step down, condemning his failure to act.

The Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley told the BBC: “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’.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury […] apologized for the Church’s role in concealing the actions of Smyth

A member of the Church’s General Synod, who started a petition urging Mr Welby to resign, said: “I think it’s sad that it’s taken so long for meaningful action to take place.” The petition, set up to urge Welby to stand down over his “failures” to alert authorities, received over 10,000 signatures.

In his statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury expressed that he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and apologized for the church’s role in concealing the actions of Smyth which enabled the lay preacher to continue his crimes overseas.

Mr Welby, who had previously resisted calls to step down over his handling of the 2013 case, said in his resignation: “When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly than an appropriate resolution would follow.

“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”