Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the Church of England (CofE) and the global Anglican Communion, has resigned due to backlash regarding an abuse cover-up scandal. According to The Christian Post, Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday in a statement posted on the CofE website, stating he has received “the gracious permission of King Charles III” to step down.
“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” stated Welby. “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 retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024.”
The former archbishop said he hoped “this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.”
“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 twelve years, I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done,” he stated.
“In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.”
Welby considered that his resignation “is in the best interests of the Church of England” and prayed that “this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.”
Earlier this month, an independent investigation released a report titled the Makin Report, which revealed that a figure named John Symth likely abused over 100 boys and young adult men while they attended Christian camps from the late 1970s into the early 1980s.
Symth passed away in 2018 at 75 years old while living in Zimbabwe, with British authorities reportedly planning to have him extradited to the United Kingdom to face charges.
“Despite considerable efforts by individuals to bring to the attention of relevant authorities the scope and horror of Smyth’s conduct, including by victims and by some clergy, the steps taken by the Church of England and other organizations and individuals were ineffective and neither fully exposed nor prevented further abuse by him,” stated the investigative report, as quoted by Episcopal News Service.
At the time, Welby was widely criticized for failing to act properly when the abuse allegations were first reported to him and other church leaders back in 2013. Last week, an online petition launched calling for Welby’s resignation, which garnered nearly 15,000 signatures.
“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,” stated the petition.
“With sadness, we do not think there is any alternative to his immediate resignation if the process of change and healing is to start now.”
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.