The Archbishop 
toof Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned on Tuesday following an independent review exposing the Church of England’s cover-up of abuse by British lawyer John Smyth, who led Christian camps in the 1970s and 1980s. The report detailed decades of abuse by Smyth, affecting over 100 boys and young men, while senior church leaders, including Welby, allegedly failed to act on reports brought to their attention.
Despite receiving multiple warnings about Smyth’s behavior, the church response was inadequate, allowing Smyth to continue his abuse both in the UK and abroad. Smyth died in 2018 without facing legal consequences.
In a statement, Welby expressed regret over the church’s failures, acknowledging his own inadequacies in addressing the abuse since he became Archbishop in 2013. “The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” he said.
The Archbishop’s resignation followed mounting criticism from survivors, including Andrew Morse, who accused Welby of being part of the cover-up. Morse argued that had Welby acted decisively in 2013, further abuses might have been prevented.
The scandal casts a long shadow over Welby’s tenure, as the Church of England faces intense scrutiny and seeks to rebuild trust among its followers.
