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By Michael D. Carroll and Barney Henderson
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Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, has stepped down following an investigation that concluded he failed to report serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps to authorities promptly upon learning of it.
Welby expressed a "profound sense of shame" over "the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England."
The pressure on Welby had intensified in recent weeks, with the findings of the Makin Review released on Thursday sparking widespread anger over accountability within the Church's leadership. Calls for his resignation grew among members of the General Synod, the Church of England's national governing body, as some clergy launched a petition asserting that Welby had "lost the confidence of his clergy."
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Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, stated on Monday that Welby's position had become "untenable" following the petition.
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Welby said in a statement: "Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign."
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 honored to serve."
Who Is Calling for Archbishop Welby to Resign?
The most vocal criticism has come from victims of John Smyth, a prominent attorney who abused teenage boys and young men at Christian summer camps across Britain, Zimbabwe, and South Africa for over five decades.
Andrew Morse, who endured repeated beatings by Smyth over five years, stated that Welby's resignation could be an initial step in repairing the harm caused by the church's handling of historical abuse cases. Morse emphasized that stepping down would allow Welby to begin addressing the broader damage inflicted by these long-standing issues.
"I believe that now is an opportunity for him to resign,'' Morse told the BBC before Welby stepped down. "I say opportunity in the sense that this would be an opportunity for him to stand with the victims of the Smyth abuse and all victims that have not been treated properly by the Church of England in their own abuse cases."
Supporters of Welby argued that he played a key role in shifting the Church of England's culture since taking on the role of Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013. However, it was the investigation into abuses occurring long before his tenure that ultimately led to his resignation.
Why Does Welby Have to Resign?
The recent 251-page Makin Review concluded that Welby failed to report Smyth's abuse to authorities when he was informed of it in August 2013, shortly after becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. Last week, Welby acknowledged responsibility for not pursuing the allegations as "energetically" as required but stated he had chosen not to resign.
On Monday, his office released a statement reaffirming his decision to stay on while expressing his "horror at the scale of Smyth's egregious abuse."
Welby's resignation follows widespread scrutiny of historical sexual abuse within the Church of England. A 2022 report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse found that the church's culture—including deference to priestly authority, taboos around discussing sexuality, and a tendency to protect alleged perpetrators over victims—created an environment where abusers could operate with impunity.
What Is the History of Smyth's Abuse?
Church officials were first alerted to John Smyth's abuse in 1982 through an internal investigation, but those who received the report "participated in an active cover-up" according to the Makin Review.
In 1984, Smyth moved to Zimbabwe, where he continued abusing boys and young men, and evidence indicates this abuse persisted in South Africa until his death in August 2018.
Smyth's actions remained concealed until Britain's Channel 4 exposed them in a 2017 investigation, prompting police to launch their own inquiry. Authorities were preparing to extradite and question Smyth when he died.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
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