Justin Welby resigns as archbishop of Canterbury over abuse scandal

Welby announces he is stepping down aft an independent study finds he grounded to show constabulary astir maltreatment allegations.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, nan astir elder cleric successful nan Church of England, has announced his resignation, saying he had grounded to guarantee a due investigation into allegations of beingness and intersexual maltreatment by a unpaid astatine Christian summertime camps decades ago.

In his resignation missive connected Tuesday, Welby said he must return “personal and organization responsibility” for a deficiency of action connected nan “heinous abuses”.

“The past fewer days person renewed my agelong felt and profound consciousness of shame astatine nan historical safeguarding failures of nan Church of England,” Welby said.

“I dream this determination makes clear really earnestly nan Church of England understands nan request for alteration and our profound committedness to creating a safer church. As I measurement down I do truthful successful sorrow pinch each victims and survivors of abuse,” he said.

Welby, 68, resigned 5 days aft nan independent Makin Report singled him retired for disapproval complete his handling of maltreatment allegations making love backmost to nan 1970s.

Britain’s King Charles III, right, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby be a reception of religion leaders astatine nan caller Lambeth Palace Library successful London [File: James Manning/Pool via Reuters]

The study recovered that John Smyth, a British lawyer, had subjected much than 100 boys and young men to “brutal and horrific” maltreatment complete a 40-year period.

Smyth hit immoderate victims pinch up to 800 strokes of a cane and supplied nappies to sorb nan bleeding, nan study said.

He would past drape himself complete nan victims, sometimes kissing them connected nan cervix aliases back.

Smyth was nan president of nan Iwerne Trust, which funded nan Christian camps successful Dorset successful England, which is wherever Welby worked arsenic a dormitory serviceman earlier he was ordained.

The study said Smyth moved to Africa successful 1984 and continued to transportation retired nan maltreatment successful Zimbabwe and South Africa until adjacent to his decease successful 2018.

‘Failures and omissions’

The study said nan Church of England astatine its highest level knew astir nan intersexual maltreatment claims astatine nan camps successful 2013, and Welby recovered retired astir nan accusations successful nan aforesaid year, months aft he had go archbishop.

Welby apologised for “failures and omissions” but said he had “no thought aliases suspicion” of nan allegations earlier 2013. The study concluded this was unlikely, accusing him of failing successful his “personal and civilized responsibility” to guarantee a due investigation.

It added that if nan claims had been reported to nan constabulary successful 2013, location could person been a afloat investigation and Smyth mightiness person faced charges earlier he died.

Church procedures for nan assignment of a caller archbishop of Canterbury require a assemblage of clerics and a chairperson nominated by nan British premier curate to put 2 names guardant to him.

Bishop of Norwich Graham Usher and Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani person been tipped to win Welby and go nan 106th archbishop of Canterbury.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies