Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, resigned Tuesday over his handling of abuse allegations, becoming the first Anglican archbishop to step down over a sexual abuse scandal.
Welby’s departure follows last week’s damning Makin Report, which found he failed to properly investigate allegations against John Smyth, a British lawyer who subjected more than 100 boys and young men to “brutal and horrific” physical and sexual abuse over four decades at Christian summer camps.
“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” Welby wrote in his resignation letter. “As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.”
The report revealed Smyth beat victims with up to 800 cane strokes, requiring them to wear diapers to absorb bleeding, before sometimes draping himself over them and kissing their necks or backs. After moving to Africa in 1984, Smyth continued his abuse until near his death in 2018.
Though Welby, 68, maintained he had “no idea or suspicion” of the allegations before 2013, the report concluded this was unlikely, criticizing his failure to ensure proper investigation when the Church learned of the abuse. Cambridge history professor Richard Rex noted that by 2013, any bishop should have recognized such allegations demanded “the utmost seriousness and care.”
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the Church’s second-ranking cleric, called the resignation “the right and honourable thing to do.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said he respected Welby’s decision.
Welby’s decade-long tenure saw him navigate deep divisions over homosexual rights and women clerics between liberal churches in North America and Britain and conservative African congregations. His successor will face challenges including unifying the increasingly fractious worldwide Anglican community and addressing a 20% decline in British church attendance since 2019.
Several prominent bishops have emerged as potential successors. The Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow, who abstained from voting on gay couple blessings, is considered alongside the Bishop of Norwich Graham Usher, known for supporting gay rights. The Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani, an Iranian-born priest, could become the first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Under church rules, a clerical body will submit preferred and alternative candidates to the prime minister, who advises the monarch on the appointment.
