Justin Welby said his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury was 'in the best interests of the Church of England'
Justin Welby said his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury was 'in the best interests of the Church of England'resigned on Tuesday following widespread outrage over his failure to pursue a serial child abuser when allegations were brought to his attention.
In a statement from Lambeth Palace, Welby said that he was “stepping aside in the best interests of the Church of England”. The spokeswoman said that No 10 “never comment on peerages”. “In terms of any government peerages and that process, they’re always set out in the usual way,” she said. The Makin Review into the Church’s handling of Smyth’s case, published on 7 November, concluded that Welby “could and should” have reported allegations to authorities when he was presented with them in 2013.
“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” he said. It is led by a non-ordained chair, appointed by the Prime Minister. Richard Luce, a cross-bench life peer, was given the role by David Cameron in 2012. Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, have both been tipped to succeed Dr Welby.Francis-Dehqani was born in Iran and has spoken about how her brother was murdered in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. She would be the first woman to occupy the post.
The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, said the resignation provided the “urgent impetus we need to change the face of safeguarding in the Church of England”. Vicar Robert Thompson launched a petition alongside two other members of the General Synod – the church’s parliament – calling for Welby to quit, which had reached more than 10,000 signatures.
This happened before the Prime Minister spoke publicly about the scandal. The monarch is expected to say something publicly about the Archbishop when he formally departs or hands over the role. Although a recently revealed letter from 1998 suggested the then Prince Charles was increasingly drawn to the Greek Orthodox church and believed other faiths – by implication the CofE – had been “corrupted by loathsome political correctness”, the monarch takes his responsibilities to the Church of England seriously.
Over five decades between the 70s until his death, Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.
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