Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over Church of England child abuse scandal

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has announced that he is to resign following the publication of a report into child abuse within the Church of England.

Warning: this story contains references to abuse that some readers may find upsetting.

He has been archbishop since 2013.

His resignation comes in the wake of the Makin Report – an independent review into British barrister John Smyth, who is believed to have abused more than 100 young men and boys – which was published last week.

Welby, who initially refused to stand down following the publication of the report, saying, however, that he had given “a lot of thought” to doing so, now says he believed it was his “personal and institutional responsibility” to resign.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth. When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow,” he said.

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

The exact timings of Welby’s departure remains unclear because of his constitutional and church responsibilities. He also sits in the House of Lords.

“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church,” he continued. “As I step down, I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse. The last few days have renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England.”

His U-turn comes after increased pressure from bishops and members of the Church of England.

Former Anglican priest and bishop, Dr Gavin Ashenden, told the BBC that he was “relieved” by Welby’s departure, both for the sake of Smyth’s victims and “the institution itself”.

He went on to say: “It took almost 10 years of the archbishop’s tenure for the report to be produced”, which was “completely unacceptable”.

The report found that Smyth, who was a senior member of the Christian charity, the Iwerne Trust, subjected his victims, whom he met at Christian summer camps in the late 70s and early 80s, to physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

An investigation conducted by the Iwerne Trust in 1982 found that he took the boys to his home in Winchester and carry out lashings with a garden cane. Despite this, the claims were not reported to the police until 2013.

Eight of the boys reportedly received a total of 14,000 lashes, while two received 8,000 between them over three years.

Smyth is said to have abused as many as 130 boys and young men across five decades. When his crimes were discovered, he was allowed to move to Africa with the full knowledge of church officials, where he continued to act with impunity, The Guardian reported.

Welby said in his resignation statement that he would follow through on his commitment to meet the victims while delegating his other responsibilities for safeguarding “until the necessary risk assessment process is complete”, adding: “I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve.”

Lambeth Palace had said in a statement on Monday (11 November) that Welby had “apologised profoundly for his failures and omissions, and for the wickedness, concealment and abuse by the church more widely”.

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire police, and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review said.

Telephone support for anyone aged 16+ in England and Wales who has experienced sexual violence is available 24/7 via The Survivors’ Trust on 0808 500 2222, through online chat or their website.