Welby was ’embarrassed and appalled’ Smyth abuse wasn’t reported to police, says son

Justin Welby’s son has spoken about his father’s resignation last week under a cloud of consternation after he did not be sure that sadistic abuser John Smyth had been reported to police.

The Archbishop of Canterbury resigned on Tuesday after days of intense pressure following the publication of the Makin Review into many years of “abhorrent” abuse by the late Smyth, a QC who used to organise evangelical camps for boys. 

The review found that Smyth had abused no less than 115 boys and young men across the UK, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and that Welby was aware of it from no less than 2013 but did not act. In a scathing assessment of the broader Church’s response, the Makin review said there had been a “cover-up”. 

Welby later denied a cover-up but admitted to “incompetence”, and in his resignation statement said that he “must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024”.

Speaking about his father’s decision to step down, his son Tim Welby told the Mirror that he had done the correct thing and that his position had change into “untenable” because “so many individuals were calling for his resignation”. 

He said his father was “really, really cross that it didn’t occur to him to triple check” that somebody had reported the abuse to police.

“The frustrating thing is I do not think it ever occurred to him that it hadn’t been reported to the police,” he said.

“When, as Archbishop, you might be told that something has happened it has often undergone so many hands. It seemed utterly inconceivable that somebody would not have said to the police: ‘This has been happening.'”

Despite his failings, Tim Welby said he was “proud” of his father and loved him very much. He said his dad would spend his remaining time in office meeting victims and attempting to put measures in place to make sure mistakes should not repeated.

“He’s definitely very embarrassed and appalled by what’s happened. I do know he’ll spend a variety of his time left in office, having conversations with a few of the people and attempting to be sure that that things are arrange in the correct way,” he said.