Child scandal sees major church head resign

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the globe’s 85 million Anglicans, has resigned due to an abuse scandal involving 100 boys.

The spiritual leader of the globe’s 85 million Anglicans has resigned after a child abuse cover up subsumed the church.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to King Charles III to resign his post on Tuesday, UK time.

“Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury,” Mr Welby said in a statement.

“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.”

Justin Welby has resigned as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

The Anglican Communion, part of Protestantism, is the third largest Christian communion after the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

It includes the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Australia and the Episcopalian Church.

The Archbishop played a key role at King Charles’ coronation, officiating the ceremony and placing the crown on the new monarch’s head.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby places the St Edward's Crown onto the head of Britain's King Charles III during the Coronation Ceremony inside Westminster Abbey in central London on May 6, 2023. Picture: Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP

Mr Welby’s downfall was spurred by the case of John Smyth, a prolific abuser who led Christian summer camps in the UK associated with the Church of England.

The Archbishop had been under pressure to resign after reports he had not followed up the abuse claims rigorously enough.

An independent probe, called the Makin Review, found Smyth forced teenage boys to strip naked at a camp in the 1970s where they were then savagely beaten.

Some received thousands of lashes. Many have scars to this day.

The Archbishop has admitted to being friends with Mr Smyth during the time he was working at the camps but has said he was not aware of any abuse allegations until 2013, when police were informed.

It’s thought more than 100 young people across the UK and Africa were abused.

“John Smyth is arguably the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England, said the Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, who was also one of the abuse victims.

The organisation running the camps was aware of the allegations in the early 1980s but did not report them to police and did not make them public until 2016.

The grounds of Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, on November 12, 2024 in London, England. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Smyth was encouraged to leave the UK. He died in 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, without ever facing a trial.

In his resignation letter, the Archbishop said his decision showed dhow “seriously” the Church of England was taking the scandal.

“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”.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, whose official home is Lambeth Palace close to central London, is the leader of the Church of England and the ceremonial head of Anglican churches worldwide.

The name Anglican refers to the communion’s link to England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is chosen by the British monarch. Mr Welby has been in the role since 2013.

Originally published as Child scandal sees major church head resign