CNA Staff, 12 November, 2024 / 7:45 pm (ACI Africa).
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for the mishandling of a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since taking the reigns in 2013.
“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse,” Welby, who was chosen as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury in 2012, said in a statement.
Though not accused of abuse himself, Welby was criticized for his response to a number of abuse cases within the church he led. Calls for Welby’s resignation reached a fever pitch in recent days, led by victims of a notorious Anglican serial sexual abuser, John Smyth.
A prominent attorney who volunteered at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, the deceased Smyth was later found to have committed physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological coercion against over 100 boys and young men across multiple countries.
A highly anticipated 253-page Nov. 7 report written by independent reviewer Keith Makin offered a stinging indictment of Welby’s handling of the Smyth case.