His position was judged “untenable” by many of his peers. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, announced his resignation on Tuesday, November 12, in a press release.
This departure comes barely a week after the submission of the Makin report, an independent investigation revealing the cover-ups by hierarchs of the Church of England into violence committed between the 1970s and 2010 by John Smyth on at least 115 boys and young men, as part of Christian holiday camps. This Anglican lawyer, a committed layman, is described by the report as “probably the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England.”
If the report judges « improbable » that Justin Welby had no knowledge of the suspicions weighing on John Smyth – which he vigorously defends – it is above all his management of the affair in 2013 which is called into question. That year, Justin Welby was officially informed of the accusations against the former lawyer. The Makin report is clear: the archbishop “could have and should have” report the facts to the police. The affair only came to light publicly in 2017, after a Channel 4 investigation revealing child abuse. Justin Welby's inaction allowed John Smyth, who died in 2018, to escape justice.
“I must take responsibility”
“It is very clear that I must assume my personal and institutional responsibility for this long and new traumatic period between 2013 and 2024», explained Justin Welby to explain his resignation. If the Archbishop of Canterbury denies having covered up the affair, with his departure he endorses the fact that he no longer has the authority necessary to assume his office and a credible fight against sexual violence in the Church from England. In fact, a petition calling for his departure, launched on November 9 by three members of the General Synod of the Church of England, had already collected more than 5,000 signatures.
“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our deep commitment to creating a safer Church. As I leave office, I do so with sadness along with all victims and survivors of abuse,” expressed Justin Welby. More broadly, this affair once again undermines the Anglican institution, already accused four years ago in a previous report of having allowed a « culture » allowing perpetrators of sexual violence against minors to ” hide “ and escape justice. According to this report, part of a wider investigation into various institutions across the country, 390 people linked to the Church of England have been convicted of sexual offenses from the 1940s to 2018.
Justin Welby has been Archbishop of Canterbury since 2013, both head of the Church of England and primate of the Anglican Communion worldwide. Since his arrival at the head of the Church of England, this former oil industry executive, known for his progressive positions, has undertaken an evangelization project of unprecedented scale.
