Church of England’s Archbishop resigns over past abuse allegations at church camps

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the highest-ranking figure in the Church of England, has announced he’s stepping down, acknowledging his failure to properly address serious abuse allegations involving a volunteer at Christian summer camps many years ago. In his resignation letter, Welby said he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for not addressing the “terrible abuses” that took place.

“The last few days have renewed my long-felt and deep sense of shame over the Church of England’s past failures to protect people,” Welby stated. He added, “I hope my resignation shows how serious we are about making changes and our commitment to a safer church. I step down with sorrow for all victims and survivors of abuse.”

Welby’s resignation follows an independent report, known as the Makin Report, which criticized his handling of abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s. The report highlighted shocking abuse by John Smyth, a British lawyer, who allegedly harmed over 100 boys and young men for four decades. According to the report, Smyth inflicted terrible physical abuse, sometimes hitting victims up to 800 times, and even provided nappies to manage bleeding.

Smyth was head of the Iwerne Trust, which funded Christian camps where Welby once worked as a dormitory officer before becoming a priest. In 1984, Smyth moved to Africa, where he allegedly continued the abuse in Zimbabwe and South Africa until he passed away in 2018.

Although Welby apologized for “failures and oversights,” he claimed he only became aware of the abuse in 2013. The report, however, questioned this, stating it was “unlikely” he had no knowledge prior and that he failed in his “personal and moral duty” to ensure a thorough investigation.

The report also pointed out that if the allegations had been reported to authorities in 2013, Smyth might have faced charges before his death.

With Welby’s resignation, the Church of England will begin the process of appointing a new archbishop. The British prime minister will work with church officials to select two possible candidates. Currently, Bishop of Norwich Graham Usher and Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani are among the leading contenders to succeed Welby as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.