Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby Resigns After Mishandling Abuse Scandal
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby — head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the world’s Anglican Communion — resigned on Tuesday after an investigation found he had failed to notify civil authorities about physical and sexual child abuse once he was made aware of it.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” Welby said in a statement. “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.”
Welby, 68, headed the Anglican Communion, which includes more than 85 million people in 165 countries, including the Episcopal Church in the United States. He had held the position since 2013.
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An independent report, released on Nov. 7, found that from July 2013, the Church of England knew “at the highest level” about John Smyth, who sexually, psychologically and physically abused about 30 boys and young men at Christian summer camps in England. In 1984, he moved to Africa, where he abused 85 other boys.
The abuse, the report found, had taken place over the course of five decades.
The 251-page report, commissioned by the Church of England and known as the Makin Review, found a “worrying pattern of deference” to Smyth and concluded that “a serious crime was covered up.”
Welby told investigators that he had “no idea or suspicion” of the allegations before 2013. The report concluded this was unlikely and accused Welby of failing in his “personal and moral responsibility” to conduct a probe.
Following five days in which several high-ranking bishops had called on him to resign, Welby said on Tuesday the report “has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.”
“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,” he 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. For nearly 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”
Reaction from across Britain
Welby’s resignation marks the first time that an Anglican archbishop had resigned over an abuse scandal.
Richard Rex, a history professor at Cambridge, told Reuters that any bishop should have realised that such allegations should be "treated with the utmost seriousness and care.”
Andrew Morse, who said he was abused by Smyth as a teen, told The Guardian that Welby’s resignation was “a positive step in a very bleak situation that has existed ever since Smyth started beating me and my friends more than 40 years ago.”
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the church’s second-ranking cleric, called Welby’s resignation "the right and honorable thing to do.”
Helen-Ann Hartley, who serves as the bishop of Newcastle, said Welby’s position had become “untenable” after bishops who make up the General Synod — the Church of England’s governing body — had called on him to resign after losing “the confidence of his clergy.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he "respects” Welby's decision.
"His thoughts first and foremost remain with all the victims,” the spokesman added.
What happens next?
Welby’s successor has yet to be named. The process to name a new archbishop is a long one. Welby will eventually be replaced by one of the church's 107 other bishops.
Welby’s replacement and an alternate will be nominated by King Charles on the advice of the prime minister. Starmer, in turn, takes advice from the Crown Nominations Commission, which is made up of 16 voting members.
The commission is a Church of England body and not one run by the king. The prime minister is not obligated to accept its advice.
Once the CNC agrees on a candidate, it passes its recommendation to the prime minister, who, advises the monarch to make the appointment.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.