Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announces he will resign He faces growing pressure to resign over his handling of Church of England abuse case.

Demands for Welby’s resignation have increased in recent days After an independent review concluded that barrister John Smyth, thought to have abused up to 130 boys and young men over decades, could have been brought to justice if Welby had formally alerted authorities in 2013.

A petition calling for Welby’s resignation, launched by three members of the General Synod, the church’s parliament, has received more than 11,500 signatures.

Although the archbishop initially rejected calls to resign, he announced Tuesday that he had changed course.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-running conspiracy of silence regarding John Smyth’s disgusting abuses… It is clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” he said.

Here, Yahoo News explains the events that led to Welby’s resignation and what might happen next.

Why did Justin Welby resign?

Last week’s post Independent Machine Review This incident was the culmination of a decades-long campaign of persecution by lawyer John Smyth, considered the church’s most prolific abuser.

In three different countries for fifty years. Smyth is said to have subjected up to 130 boys and young men to “traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual assaults”.

Smyth died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, meaning he never faced justice for his crimes, although the Church of England first began receiving reports of Smyth’s crimes in 2013 when a victim came forward.

After a Channel 4 documentary revealed Smyth’s abuse in 2017, Hampshire Police launched an investigation and the solicitor’s request for extradition to the UK was being considered. This followed a 1982 report by the Iwerne Trust, which runs evangelical Christian holiday camps in Britain, which was not made public until 2016.

Welby knew Smyth from attending the Iwerne camps in the 1970s, but the Makin Review said there was no evidence that he had “significant contact” with him in later years.

The archbishop said he had “no idea or suspicion of this abuse” before 2013, but admitted he was “personally unable” to ensure that the incident was investigated after it became more widely known following the first victim’s report.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said Justin Welby’s resignation was “the right and honorable thing to do” and said the church “must continue to work towards and achieve a more victim-centred and trauma-informed approach to safeguarding”. “.

What did Justin Welby say in his statement?

In a statement released by Lambeth Palace on Tuesday, Welby said he had “stepped aside in the interests of the Church of England”.

“Having received the gracious permission of His Majesty the King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury,” he said.

“Makin Review has exposed the long-running conspiracy of silence regarding John Smyth’s disgusting abuses.

“When I was informed in 2013 and told that the police had been notified, I wrongly believed that a suitable solution would be found.

“It is clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024.”

He added: “I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England takes the need for change and our deep commitment to creating a safer church. “As I leave office, it is with a heavy heart that I do so along with all the victims and survivors of abuse.

“The last few days have renewed the deep sense of shame I have long felt at the historic preservation failures of the Church of England. I have been trying to make improvements for about 12 years. It is the job of others to judge what has been done.

“In the meantime, I will fulfill my commitment to meet the victims. I will transfer all other current safeguarding responsibilities until the required risk assessment process has been completed.

“I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. “They have been my most important support throughout my service, and I am forever grateful for their sacrifice.”

Welby concluded: “I believe that abdication is in the interests of the Church of England, which I love and have the honor to serve. I pray that this decision will lead us to the love of Jesus Christ for each of us.”

“Above all, my deepest devotion is to the person of Jesus Christ, my savior and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world and the hope of every man.”

What happens next?

Welby also said in his statement that he had a duty to fulfill his “constitutional and church responsibilities.”

This means the exact timing of his departure will be decided following a review of “necessary obligations” in England and the international Anglican Communion, which has more than 85 million members.

The Church of England is now preparing to elect a new leader, saying the process would normally take around nine months.

Responsibility for this lies with the Royal Nomination Commission (CNC), whose job it is to submit the name of the preferred candidate to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who is constitutionally responsible for pitching the appointment to the King.

The commission, established in the 1970s, reviews background material and the results of consultations, discussing the challenges the next archbishop will face, before voting on the proposed candidate.

After the King approves the chosen candidate and expresses his willingness to serve, Number 10 will announce the name of the Archbishop candidate.

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