The head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, faces mounting pressure to resign following a scathing report revealing that the Church of England covered up extensive abuse by a prominent member.
The independent report, led by former social services chief Keith Makin, revealed failures by church officials to prevent abuse by John Smyth, a lawyer and evangelical camp leader, who inflicted severe physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse on as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK, Zimbabwe, and South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s.
The abuse continued for decades due to a cover-up by Church officials, who were aware of Smyth’s actions as early as the 1980s.
Also Read
Smyth, who evaded criminal prosecution by relocating to Africa in 1984, died in 2018 while under investigation in South Africa.
The report concluded that senior Church leaders, including Archbishop Welby, had failed to report Smyth’s crimes when they came to light in 2013, with the Church prioritizing its reputation over justice for the victims.
Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, voiced her concerns on BBC, questioning the Church’s ability to maintain moral authority if it couldn’t address its own misconduct.
Following her statement, three members of the Church’s General Synod, the governing body of the Church of England, launched a petition calling for Welby’s resignation. By Monday afternoon, the petition had garnered over 3,000 signatures, with several priests and bishops joining in their criticism.
In response, Welby expressed his sorrow for the abuse but maintained that he had no prior knowledge or suspicion before 2013.
Despite admitting he considered resignation, he concluded there were no grounds for him to step down, stating, “If I’d known before 2013, that would be a resigning matter.” However, critics argue that his decision to refrain from reporting Smyth’s abuse in 2013 showed a lack of responsibility, leading to calls for his departure.
The Makin report condemned the Church’s response to a 2017 media investigation into Smyth’s abuses, labeling it as unprofessional and lacking urgency.
This scandal, which has led to widespread condemnation of the Church, comes in the wake of other abuse revelations within Anglicanism.
A 2020 report found nearly 400 individuals associated with the Church had been convicted of child abuse offenses between the 1940s and 2018, highlighting systemic failures in safeguarding measures.
With rising discontent among clergy and parishioners, the Archbishop’s position remains increasingly fragile amid the growing demands for accountability.
