The Archbishop of Canterbury is facing calls to resign over the church’s failure to tackle child abuse

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The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England’s most senior cleric, is under increasing pressure to resign after a damning report accused him of not doing enough against a sadistic child abuser.

An overview of the church’s handling of “horrendous” abuse perpetrated by John Smyth questioned the position of Archbishop Justin Welby after it was found that he “had a personal and moral responsibility to pursue this (case) further” after he was aware of it, while the cover-up was perpetrated by the church hierarchy who knew “at the highest level, for abuse”.
Now, three members of the governing body of the Church of England, the General Synod, have started a petition calling on Welby to step down immediately.
In this November 2023 file photo, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby attends a state banquet during a state visit by the South Korean president to Buckingham Palace in London.
In this November 2023 file photo, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby attends a state banquet during a state visit by the South Korean president to Buckingham Palace in London. (Reuters via CNN)

In addition to being the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury acts as the “first among equals” leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Close examination of Welby focused on what he knew about the allegations against Smyth, who is now dead. The former British barrister has been described as the worst abuser associated with the Church of England, having carried out “prolific, brutal and horrific” physical, psychological and sexual assaults on as many as 130 boys and young men, according to the Makin Report. , published on November 7. The report details the abuse from the 1970s until Smyth’s death in 2018; it often involved savage beatings, and the victims even included members of their own family.

An independent review, commissioned by the church, found that while Welby “may not have been aware of the extreme seriousness of the abuse… it is most likely that he would have had at least some level of knowledge that John Smyth was something of concern.” It added that “it is not possible to determine whether Justin Welby was aware of the seriousness of the abuse in the UK prior to 2013.”

The Bishop of Newcastle, however, told the BBC on Monday that Welby’s position was untenable. Helen-Ann Hartley said it was difficult for the church to continue to “have a moral voice… when we can’t put our own house in order.”

John Smyth, a former British barrister, is considered the worst abuser associated with the Church of England.
John Smyth, a former British barrister, is considered the worst abuser associated with the Church of England. (Channel Four News)

One of the organizers of the petition, Marcus Walker, vicar of St Bartholomew’s in London, told CNN he “cannot imagine” how the archbishop can continue in his post, saying Welby has “lost the confidence of his clergy”. “

Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s seat, announced on Monday that Welby “does not intend to resign” and that he has “profoundly apologized for his failures and omissions, as well as the malice, cover-up and abuse of the wider church.”

After Channel 4 News reported Smyth’s abuse in 2017, the Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson, came forward as a victim, saying he had suffered “violent, harrowing and shocking” slapping Smyth’s arms.

Smyth died in South Africa aged 77 while under investigation by UK police, but a church audit found that in 2012 and 2013 the church’s top brass “missed an opportunity” to “properly” report him to police. Failure to do so, it concluded, “may have resulted in a permanent and avoidable protection threat.”

Smyth, who is accused of abuse at his home, identified several of his victims during evangelical Christian summer camps he helped run for students from Britain’s elite private colleges in the 1970s and 1980s. Although Smyth sought ordination in the Church of England, he was refused and moved to Zimbabwe in 1984. The report estimates that he went on to abuse 85 to 100 male children between the ages of 13 and 17 in Africa.

The case is particularly sensitive for Welby, who was educated at Eton College, Britain’s most famous private school, and worked at the summer camps where he met Smyth. He later exchanged Christmas cards with Smyth and donated small amounts of money to his “missions” in Zimbabwe, the report said.

Some church officials were aware of Smyth’s abuse through reports of his activities as early as 1982, but Welby, ordained in 1993, insisted he knew of no abuse until 2013.

The archbishop accepts that at the time he was informed, he “personally failed” to ensure that Smyth was “vigorously investigated”, but insisted he planned to remain in office. He also apologized for not meeting Smyth’s victims sooner.

During his tenure, Welby held to account those accused of mishandling abuse, including his predecessor, Lord Carey and former Bishop of Lincoln.

The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury over child abuse would be without any apparent historical precedent and there is no mechanism by which to remove an archbishop.

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