THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced his resignation following the publication of a damning report that reveals the Church of England covered up decades of abuse by prominent barrister John Smyth QC.
Welby stated: “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign.”
The resignation follows the release of the independent Makin review last week, which detailed how Smyth, over a span of five decades, abused children and young men in the UK and Africa. The report estimates that as many as 130 boys and young men suffered severe physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse at Smyth’s hands, leaving lasting scars on their lives.
The review highlighted a critical missed opportunity, concluding that Smyth might have faced justice had Archbishop Welby reported the abuse to police a decade ago. Smyth, who died in Cape Town in 2018 at age 75, was under investigation by Hampshire Police but was “never brought to justice for the abuse,” according to the report.
