The Archbishop of Canterbury dramatically resigned today admitting he feels ‘shame’ over the way victims of the Church’s most prolific child abuser were let down.
Justin Welby said he was standing down after a damning report found his failure to act meant that ‘abhorrent’ serial abuser John Smyth was never brought to justice.
Dr Welby had initially tried to cling on, but was effectively forced to quit after senior colleagues joined criticism and more than 10,000 people signed a petition. Keir Starmer had also pointedly refused to back the Archbishop.Â
The Archbishop of York said the resignation was the ‘right and honourable thing to do’, while MPs insisted there was a duty on leaders of institutions to ‘report and rigorously follow up’ safeguarding concerns.
Survivor groups stressed that there should be more departures rather than Dr Welby being the sole ‘scapegoat’.Â
In a statement this afternoon, Dr Welby said: ‘Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.
‘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.’
Dr 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.’Â
Sir Keir declined to give Dr Welby full support on Monday after a senior Bishop called for him to resign, instead saying that it is a ‘matter really for the church’.
However he went a step further today when he was asked about growing calls for the Archbishop to step down while attending Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Sir Keir 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’.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned. Pictured: March 2024
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.’
John Smyth (pictured) is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England
The PM said: ‘Let me be clear. Of what I know of the allegations, they are clearly horrific in relation to this particular case and both in their scale and their content and my thoughts, as they are with all of these issues, are with the victims here who have obviously been failed very, very badly.
‘It is a matter in the end for the Church but I am not going to shy away from the fact saying these are horrific allegations and my thoughts are with the victims in relation to it and I think that is very important.’
Pressure had been heaped on Dr Welby after a senior Bishop broke ranks yesterday calling for him to resign immediately.
The Right Reverend Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, said that his position is ‘untenable’ and added: ‘I think he should resign.’
‘I think that it’s very hard for the church, as the national, established church, to continue to have a moral voice in any way, shape or form in our nation, when we cannot get our own house in order,’ she told the BBC.
She added that while Dr Welby’s resignation is ‘not going to solve the problem’, it would be ‘a very clear indication that a line has been drawn, and that we must move towards independence of safeguarding’.
Meanwhile a petition – started by three members of the Church’s ruling body, the General Synod, and backed by a number of high-profile priests – calling for the Archbishop to resign passed 12,000 signatures this morning.
The petition read: ‘Given his role in allowing abuse to continue, we believe that his continuing as the Archbishop of Canterbury is no longer tenable. We must see change, for the sake of survivors, for the protection of the vulnerable, and for the good of the Church.’
Dr Welby is believed to have notified the King of his intentions this morning, before the PM’s remarks. Â
Dr Welby’s resignation is unprecedented and marks first time that an Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned in such controversial circumstances.
The law requires that the Archbishop of Canterbury to retire by the age of 70, meaning that at 68 Dr Welby would have had almost two more years until a successor was appointed.
The retirement is usually announced well in advance as it is often a drawn out process to appoint a successor.
It is more common for archbishops to die in office than to resign, with Thomas Becket being assassinated and Thomas Cranmer executed.
And while Rowan Williams, Lord Williams of Oystermouth, did resign in 2012 at the age of 62, this was done to take up a prestigious position as master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
An Archbishop also needs the monarch’s blessing to step down, which is not guaranteed. When former Archbishop Lord George Carey stepped tried to step down, the late Queen reminded him that she ‘can’t resign either’.
Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, said Dr Welby’s resignation was ‘the right and honourable thing to do’.
In a statement, he said: ‘As I read the Makin Review last week and reflected on the terrible abuse perpetrated by John Smyth and shamefully covered up by others, I am, first of all, moved by the accounts of victims and survivors that we have heard from so powerfully. They were badly let down by many in different parts of the Church of England. I am grateful for their courage to be part of the review.
‘As a church we continue to work towards and must achieve a more victim-centred and trauma-informed approach to safeguarding within the Church of England, and this must address the broader questions of culture and leadership. In this regard, much progress has already been made over the last 10 years.
Tory MP Julian Smith insisted there was a duty on leaders of institutions to ‘report and rigorously follow up’ safeguarding concerns
Nigel Farage said the Church must now ‘appoint a leader that believes in Christian values’
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’Â
‘Indeed, it has been Archbishop Justin himself who has championed those developments and reforms. Both Justin and I have made our hopes known about the independence of safeguarding discussed both by Makin and also in Alexis Jay’s report and look forward to the group already at work on these bringing recommendations which can be both effective and trusted.
‘As Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin has decided to take his share of responsibility for the failures identified by the Makin review. I believe this is the right and honourable thing to do.
‘Whilst this is a difficult day for Justin, I pray there will be an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the many positive aspects of his ministry and his huge commitment to the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and above all the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
‘But I continue to take account of the needs and experiences of victims and survivors and look to the various changes, above all the greater independence of safeguarding, that we need to help ensure these failings never happen again. It is to this ongoing work that I commit myself.’
The House of Survivors, which was set up by two survivors of Church of England abuse to help others, welcomed the Archbishop’s resignation and called for other implicated clergy to follow.
It said: ‘House of Survivors sees this decision as the right one and inevitable following the revelations of this week.
‘We expect more resignations to follow. The Archbishop must not be the scapegoat. The list of clergy in the ‘circles of awareness’ is staggering.’
The Bishop of Stepney Joanne Grenfell said: ‘As lead Bishop for safeguarding for the Church of England, I have been acutely aware of the impact of the Makin report and the retraumatizing effects of its publication on victims and survivors of John Smyth’s awful abuse.
‘With sadness, I fully respect and understand Archbishop Justin’s decision today to resign. Although Archbishop Justin has helped the Church of England to achieve much in relation to safeguarding during his tenure, because of the failings identified in the Makin Report, it is now necessary for others to take up the baton.
‘Of course, the responsibility for good safeguarding in the Church of England lies with every one of us. Archbishop Justin’s resignation does not change that, and his decision today does not absolve any of us from bringing about the wholesale changes in culture and leadership that are essential in every part of the Church.
‘I am acutely aware of the need in our current work on safeguarding independence, following the report of Professor Alexis Jay, to bring to General Synod recommendations for moving forward which can be both effective and trusted in this regard.
‘I have worked closely with Archbishop Justin since I took on this role and have greatly valued his personal commitment to good safeguarding and his desire to see the whole Church make this a priority.’
