Archbishop ‘doesn’t intend to resign’ over John Smyth abuse failures

The Archbishop of Canterbury “doesn’t intend to resign” despite calls from influential clergy to go following a damning report into failings over the handling of the John Smyth abuse scandal.

The Makin Review published last week accused the Church of England of a “cover-up” of the abuse perpetrated by Smyth, who died in 2018. 

The long-awaited report detailed “prolific and abhorrent” abuse involving at the very least 115 adults and youngsters by the hands of Smyth over a period spanning 40 years.

The failings go right to the highest with the report stating that from July 2013, the Church of England knew “at the very best level” concerning the abuse and that it “could and will have been reported to the police in 2013”.

“Despite the efforts of some individuals to bring the abuse to the eye of authorities, the responses by the Church of England and others were wholly ineffective and amounted to a cover-up,” lead reviewer Keith Makin said. 

The report said that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby “held a private and moral responsibility” to pursue the abuse allegations further and did not accomplish that. 

In response Archbishop Welby apologised “not just for my very own failures and omissions but for the wickedness, concealment and abuse by the church more widely”. 

Speaking to reporter Cathy Newman, he admitted “incompetence” but denied a cover-up. He has also resisted calls to resign. 

“I even have given it [resigning] a whole lot of thought and have taken advice as recently as this morning from senior colleagues, and, no, I’m not going to resign,” he said. 

A petition calling for Welby’s resignation has been backed by Rev Dr Ian Paul, a member of General Synod and the Archbishops’ Council, Rev Robert Thompson, Synod member and vicar of St Mary’s Kilburn & St James’ West Hampstead, and Rev Marcus Walker, Synod member and vicar of Great St Bartholomew.

“Given his role in allowing abuse to proceed, we imagine that his continuing because the Archbishop of Canterbury isn’t any longer tenable,” they said.

“We must see change, for the sake of survivors, for the protection of the vulnerable, and for the great of the Church—and we share this determination across our traditions.

“With sadness we don’t think there may be any alternative to his immediate resignation if the strategy of change and healing is to begin now.” 

The petition has been signed over 2,000 times. 

Fergus Butler Gallie, vicar of Charlbury with Shorthampton, has written to Archbishop Welby asking that he step down. 

“We will proceed to wish for you, but I for one might be praying that you’ll resign. The damage you’ve done to this church will take a really very long time to repair,” he wrote.

“More importantly, those belongings you did and did not do inflicted such damage on people—made within the image of that very same God—might never heal.

“Any healing of people or the institution must now be in His hands, not yours. The way you would possibly serve that process best now’s to resign.” 

Rev Giles Fraser, writing in Unherd, said, “Welby cannot survive this. And his resignation should send a crucial shock wave through the Church of England like nothing else could. No Archbishop would ever again treat the entire matter so evenly.” 

He continued, “The Makin Report is a watershed moment for the Church. I’m afraid Justin Welby’s position isn’t any longer tenable.

“And it will be significant that when he goes, we use this moment as one for a large change of culture throughout the church.

“As a victim of cruel abuse myself, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to be a public representative of a church that refuses to seek out it inside itself to do the appropriate thing.”

In response to the calls, a Lambeth Palace spokesperson told The Times that Welby “reiterates his horror” over the abuse perpetrated by Smyth and reiterated that he has “apologised profoundly each for his own failures and omissions and for the wickedness, concealment and abuse by the church more widely”.

She confirmed that Welby doesn’t plan to step down: “He had no awareness or suspicion of the allegations before he was told in 2013. And due to this fact, having reflected, he doesn’t intend to resign.”