Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over handling of abuse case

The Archbishop of Canterbury says he will resign, following days of pressure after a damning review into the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England.

The independent Makin Review last week concluded that barrister John Smyth might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Archbishop Justin Welby had previously apologised but stated that he would not resign, following the review’s publication last week.

But in a statement today he said: “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.

“The Makin Review has 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.

“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”

Mr Welby also said in his statement that while he will step down, it's not clear yet when that will happen:

“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.

“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.

The Makin review into John Smyth

Over five decades between the 1970s until his death, John Smyth QC is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

Mark Stibbe was groomed and physically abused by Smyth while attending Winchester College in the 1980s, told the BBC that Smyth would create a “homely environment” to target “vulnerable people like myself who were missing their home, missing their parents”.

Mr Stibbe said Smyth had a shed at his home outside Winchester which had been “sound-proofed and built for his abuses”.

Smyth is also alleged to have beaten children in the 1970s and 1980s while he was a leader at the Iwerne Trust camps in Dorset.

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the Makin Review published last week said.

The report said Smyth “could and should have been formally reported to the police in the UK, and to authorities in South Africa (church authorities and potentially the police) by church officers, including a diocesan bishop and Justin Welby in 2013″.

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.