Now Archbishop of Canterbury faces losing seat in House of Lords after quitting in shame over his failure to stop Church of Englands most prolific child abuser leaving institution in crisis
The Church was in turmoil last night after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned in shame.
The Church was in turmoil last night after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned in shame.
Justin Welby had to step down over his handling of the Church of Englands worst child abuse scandal.
He is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be forced out of the role after failures meant an abuser was never brought to justice.
Last night survivors warned Mr Welby should not be a sacrificial lamb and that other senior clergy implicated in the scandal should also quit. In an unprecedented step, Mr Welby said yesterday he had sought permission from the King to step down in the best interests of the Church.
His resignation was tended after days of pressure from senior clergy and came after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer twice failed to back him, saying the victims had been failed very, very badly.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned. Pictured: September 2022
John Smyth (pictured) is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England
In a statement, Dr Welby said: Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury
Last night Downing Street declined to say whether Mr Welby would receive the life peerage customarily given to former Archbishops of Canterbury, with a source adding that it is not automatic.
His resignation comes after a long-awaited review last week concluded that barrister John Smyths abhorrent serial abuse of more than 100 boys and young men was covered up within the Church.
The Makin review also criticised the Archbishop for showing a distinct lack of curiosity after learning of Smyths abuse in 2013, which meant the abuser was never brought to justice before his death in 2018.
In a statement from Lambeth Palace, Mr Welby admitted it was clear he must take personal and institutional responsibility.
Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty the King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury, he said. 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. It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
It is likely to be some time before a successor is announced. The statement added that Archbishop Welby will continue to carry out constitutional and Church responsibilities until exact dates for a hand-over are confirmed.
Mr Welby added: The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
He added: 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. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.
A general view of the chamber as Britains Queen Elizabeth II addresses the House of Lords, during the State Opening of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby waits to address the General Synod in Assembly Hall on February 13, 2017
In an unprecedented step, Mr Welby said yesterday he had sought permission from the King to step down in the best interests of the Church
At the COP29 summit today, Keir Starmer said that findings in the review by Keith Makin that Smyth abused more than 100 boys and young men are clearly horrific and that his victims have obviously been failed very, very badly
It is understood that the King exchanged private words with the Archbishop yesterday morning. The exchange – between aides from Lambeth Palace and Buckingham Palace – took place before Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters at the Cop29 summit at midday.
In a pointed statement, the Prime Minister said Smyths abuse was clearly horrific and his victims have obviously been failed very, very badly.
Survivors of Smyths abuse welcomed Mr Welbys resignation and said he has done the right thing. But they said they want to see other resignations as the list of clergy in the circles of awareness is staggering.
There were calls for the resignation of Rt Rev Stephen Conway, the Bishop of Lincoln, who was implicated in the scandal when he was the Bishop of Ely.
Mark Stibbe, an ex-vicar and author, said: We asked for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who we knew knew about the abuses in 2013, and the Bishop of Ely and other senior figures in the CofE to do the right thing, and Justin Welby has done the right thing.
He told Channel 4 News: So I applaud Welby for resigning but what I think the survivor group would like is more resignations because that means more accountability, people taking responsibility for having been silent when they should have spoken. Another survivor, who reported Smyths abuse to the Bishop of Lincoln in 2013, also called for him to step aside last night.
He was the person in a position to stop John Smyth, bring him to justice and he fundamentally failed, the man told the BBC, adding: I dont care about his prayers, I want his resignation.
Bishop Conway apologised following the review, saying: I understand that there were further actions I could have taken following my reporting of the disclosures made to us in the Diocese of Ely about John Smyth.
The House of Survivors, set up by two victims of abuse, said the Archbishop must not be the only scapegoat. A spokesman said Mr Welbys resignation needed to be a sea change moment for the CofE in its approach to safeguarding and called for mandatory reporting of concerns.
He is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be forced out of the role after failures meant an abuser was never brought to justice
Last night survivors warned Mr Welby should not be a sacrificial lamb and that other senior clergy implicated in the scandal should also quit
Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, said Dr Welbys resignation was the right and honourable thing to do
He added: A lot of us can see that if Welby ends up becoming the sacrificial lamb then its not healthy for the Church, its not healthy for him and its not healthy for survivors. We need to see the Church taking this a lot more seriously.
To some extent Welby going is hugely symbolic, and institutionally its very powerful, but in terms of the Makin review there
are plenty more people who need to be accountable. Mr Welbys resignation in such controversial circumstances is unprecedented.
The law requires that an Archbishop of Canterbury retires by the age of 70, meaning 68-year-old Mr Welby would have had almost two more years until a successor was appointed.
It is more common for Archbishops to die in office than to resign, with Thomas Becket being assassinated and Thomas Cranmer executed. Randall Davidson was the first to retire in 1928.
And while Rowan Williams, Lord Williams of Oystermouth, resigned in 2012 at the age of 62, he did so to take up a position as master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
An Archbishop also needs the monarchs blessing to quit, which is not guaranteed. When former Archbishop Lord George Carey tried to step down, the late Queen reminded him that she cant resign either. A secretive committee, the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), will be convened to create a shortlist and interview candidates.
It is likely to be fraught, with a two-thirds majority of voting members required to make a recommendation. The CNC will then make its recommendation to the PM, who conveys this to the King ,who ultimately makes the appointment.
