UK: Archbishop Justin Welby Resigns Over Church Abuse Cover-up

Facts

• After last week suggesting he wouldn't resign, Justin Welby has stepped down as Archbishop of Canterbury. This comes following the publication of a damning report, suggesting Welby failed to act when informed over a decade ago of abuses committed by barrister John Smyth.^[1]
• Smyth reportedly abused approximately 130 boys and young men, subjecting them to brutal physical, psychological, and sexual attacks spanning five decades across three countries.^[2][3]
• Archbishop Justin Welby had known Smyth since the 1970s. Informed of abuse allegations in 2013, Welby reportedly failed to ensure they were thoroughly investigated, which critics say represents a missed opportunity to bring Smyth to justice.^[4]
• The Makin Review found that Church officials at the highest level had known about the abuse since 1982 and participated in an active cover-up, enabling Smyth to continue abusing victims in Zimbabwe and South Africa until his death in 2018.^[5]
• Smyth targeted victims through evangelical Christian summer camps and elite private schools, subjecting them to savage beatings, with some of his victims even including members of his own family.^[2]
• Welby's decision comes amid intense criticism and mounting pressure to leave his position. His resignation stated that he "must take personal and institutional responsibility" for the failings of the Church, particularly the suffering that occurred in the period following 2013.^[6]

Sources: ^[1]BBC News, ^[2]CNN, ^[3]Sky News, ^[4]The Guardian, ^[5]Associated Press and ^[6]The Telegraph.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Spectator (UK). The resignation of Justin Welby was absolutely justified — the Archbishop's failure to intervene in Smyth's abuses constituted complicity with his brutal and heinous crimes. However, having taken responsibility for his failings, we must now look ahead to consider who may take Welby's place. There are several impressive, eligible candidates who could soon be leading the Church of England and influencing Christians around the world.
• Narrative B, as provided by The New Statesman. Welby's undignified resignation cannot merely be skirted over with dialogue about a potential successor. This latest series of events highlights the Church of England's dwindling status in modern society, and the ousting and moral condemnation of its most senior figurehead may come to be the nail in the coffin for the CoE's influence in an increasingly agnostic world.