THE Archbishop of Canterbury is to resign, saying that doing so is in the “best interests of the Church of England”.
Archbishop Welby has faced calls to resign in response to Keith Makin’s report on John Smyth, which was released last Thursday (News, 11 November).
In a statement issued by Lambeth Palace at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Archbishop Welby said: “I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.”
Regarding the Makin report, Archbishop Welby said that it had “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.
“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.”
The report says that Archbishop Welby was “ill-advised about the actions taken in the Ely diocese” where Smyth’s abuse was first reported to a Church safeguarding adviser. “He was told that a referral had been made to the police. This was not correct.”
Although the Bishop of Ely’s safeguarding adviser had spoken with the police about the abuse that had been disclosed, a formal report hadn’t in fact been made. Had “more incisive and comprehensive action” been taken, the extent of Smyth’s abuse could have been identified earlier, and he could have been brought to justice, the review says.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024,” Archbishop Welby said in his resignation statement, referring to the length of time between the first disclosures of Smyth’s abuse to Lambeth Palace, and the publication of the Makin report last week (News, 7 November).
He said that he hoped the decision to resign “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.
“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.
“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.”
Archbishop Welby said that had sought the permission of the King after deciding to resign, but that exact timings of his departure would be confirmed in due course.
He wrote: “It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.”
On Monday, the Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, added her voice to calls for Archbishop Welby to resign (News, 11 November).
At the time of the announcement on Tuesday, a petition calling on Archbishop Welby to resign had over 13,000 signatures.
Sarah Meyrick, Madeleine Davies, and Francis Martin discuss the Makin review and the Archbishop’s resignation announcement on the Church Times Podcast here.