The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned as head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion following an investigation that found he failed to report serial abuse by a volunteer leader when he first became aware of it in 2013.
In a statement Tuesday (Nov. 12), Welby said stepping down was in the best interests of the Church of England, which he “dearly loves” and has been honored to serve.
The resignation follows an independent review released on Nov. 7, which concluded that Welby had been aware of the abuse but did not immediately inform police. Church leaders and members of the national assembly had called for Welby’s resignation after the findings were made public.
Helen-Ann Hartley, bishop of Newcastle, stated on Nov. 11 that Welby’s position had become “untenable” following the release of the review. Some members of the Church’s General Synod, the national assembly, began a petition calling for his resignation, saying he had “lost the confidence of his clergy.”
The investigation centered on John Smyth, a prominent lawyer who was accused of using a cane to beat teenage boys and young men at Christian summer camps in Britain, Zimbabwe, and South Africa over a period of five decades. The report detailed brutal punishments Smyth inflicted on the young campers for perceived “sins,” such as “pride,” masturbation, and even looking at a girl too long. Some victims and Smyth were reportedly partially or fully naked during the beatings.
“The scale and severity of the practice was horrific,” the report said, citing instances of Smyth administering 100 strokes for masturbation, 400 for pride, and even 800 strokes for an undisclosed offense.
Smyth’s abuse was not publicly revealed until 2017, and he died the following year before being extradited to England for questioning.
Andrew Morse, one of Smyth’s victims who was beaten over a five-year period, said Welby’s resignation was an opportunity for the church to begin repairing the damage caused by its handling of historical abuse cases.
A 2022 report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) criticized the Church of England for creating a culture that allowed abuse to be hidden. The report found that deference to the authority of clergy, taboos surrounding discussions of sexuality, and a failure to support victims led to an environment where abusers could operate with impunity.
The Archbishop of Canterbury holds a prominent position as the head of the Church of England and is considered the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, a global network of churches with more than 85 million members across 165 countries. While he is regarded as “first among equals” among the communion’s bishops, the archbishop’s leadership is symbolic and spiritual rather than administrative.
The 251-page report published on Nov. 7 concluded that Welby failed to take immediate action after learning of Smyth’s abuse in August 2013, just months after he became Archbishop. At the time, police were preparing to question Smyth and were in the process of arranging his extradition to face justice. However, Smyth died before he could be held accountable.
The church’s handling of these historical abuse cases has been widely criticized, and Welby’s resignation marks a significant moment in the ongoing reckoning with institutional failures to protect vulnerable individuals.
