The Archbishop of Canterbury, the principal leader of the Church of England, resigned on Tuesday after a report into a child abuse scandal involving a barrister associated with the church. Reverend Justin Welby said he had sought the permission of King Charles III, the titular head and supreme governor of the Church of England, to step down after a review found barrister John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men had been covered up. Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while still under investigation by Hampshire Police in the UK.
"The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuse of John Smyth,” said Welby in his resignation statement. "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 re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024,” he said.
"The last few days have renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done,” he added.
The bishop said he would meet victims as previously agreed as he delegates all other responsibilities until a successor is in place. The controversy has been brewing for some time, with pressure mounting on Welby to resign from the influential post. The Makin Re.