Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the Church of England, resigned on Tuesday, expressing deep regret for failing to properly investigate abuse allegations against a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago. Welby, who officiated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, also led King Charles III's coronation and Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
As the spiritual head of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, Welby faced growing pressure to resign after a report last week criticized him for not taking enough action to stop one of the Church’s worst serial abusers.
In his resignation letter, Welby said he takes "personal and institutional responsibility" for the Church’s failure to act on the "horrific abuses."
"The past few days have deepened my long-standing shame over the Church of England's historic failures to protect people," Welby said. "I hope my resignation shows how serious we are about making the Church a safer place. I step down in sorrow, standing with all victims and survivors of abuse."
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the Church’s second-ranking official, called Welby’s decision "the right and honorable thing to do."
Welby’s time as archbishop included navigating conflicts over LGBTQ+ rights and the role of women in the Church. These debates have divided liberal churches in places like the U.S. and U.K. from more conservative ones, especially in African countries like Uganda and Nigeria. These churches are likely to welcome his resignation, having expressed their lack of confidence in him last year.
The next archbishop will face challenges in keeping the global Anglican community united and reversing a decline in church attendance, which has dropped by 20% in the U.K. since 2019.
Welby, 68, resigned following the release of the Makin Report, which criticized his handling of abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s.
The report detailed how John Smyth, a British lawyer, physically and sexually abused over 100 boys and young men over 40 years. Smyth beat some victims with up to 800 cane strokes, even providing nappies to absorb their bleeding, and sometimes kissed them on the neck or back.
Smyth led the Iwerne Trust, which funded Christian camps where Welby worked before becoming a priest. Smyth moved to Africa in 1984 and continued abusing people until his death in 2018.
The report revealed that Church leaders, including Welby, were aware of the allegations by 2013, shortly after he became archbishop. However, no police investigation occurred at that time. If the abuse had been reported earlier, Smyth might have faced legal action before his death.
Welby apologized for "failures and omissions" but insisted he was unaware of the allegations before 2013. The report, however, concluded that this was unlikely, accusing him of failing in his "personal and moral responsibility" to ensure a proper investigation.
The process to appoint a new Archbishop of Canterbury involves a group of clerics, with two final candidates submitted to the British prime minister for approval.
Among the potential successors are Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, known for supporting LGBTQ+ rights and environmental causes, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, who was born in Iran. If chosen, Francis-Dehqani would be the first woman to hold the position.
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