A vicar who helped organise a widely supported petition calling for Justin Welby to step down as Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed his resignation.
Rev Marcus Walker, founding father of the Save the Parish movement, was a co-sponsor of the petition on Change.org signed by over 14,000 people.
“Justin Welby has done the correct thing and my prayers are with him and his family today,” Walker said on X.
“Prayers also for individuals who were brutalised by John Smyth, for whom the previous couple of days could have brought back much misery.
“Now the Church must work out move forward with wisdom and care.”
Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday afternoon after days of mounting scrutiny over his failure to report sadistic abuse by Christian camp organiser, the late John Smyth QC, to the police after becoming aware of it in 2013.
The Archbishop’s failings were detailed in a scathing report by Keith Makin which said that the Church of England’s actions amounted to a “cover-up”. Speaking to Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman, Welby denied a cover-up but admitted “incompetence”.
Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to the late Queen Elizabeth II, was among the many critics who had called for Welby’s resignation. He also welcomed today’s announcement.
“Many of the victims of John Smyth might be greatly relieved by the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the grounds, as he described them to Cathy Newman, of ‘incompetence’,” he said.
“His personal incompetence, and the collusion of his office in failing to offer sufficient energy and resources to answer the complaints of victims and that of his office led to it taking 10 years for a report on the sexual abuse of youngsters by the leading Anglican barrister to return into the sunshine of day.
“Only his resignation could satisfy the demands each for justice and the reassurance that the Church of England recognised it had failed each of the victims and its members.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said Welby’s resignation was “the correct and honourable thing to do”.
“As Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin has decided to take his share of responsibility for the failures identified by the Makin review. I feel that is the correct and honourable thing to do,” said Archbishop Cottrell, who’s the second most senior figure within the Church of England.
“Whilst this can be a difficult day for Justin, I pray there might be a possibility to reflect on and appreciate the various positive facets of his ministry and his huge commitment to the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and above all of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“But I proceed to take account of the needs and experiences of victims and survivors and look to the varied changes, above all of the greater independence of safeguarding, that we want to assist ensure these failings never occur again. It is to this ongoing work that I commit myself.”
Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013 and had been on account of retire in 2026. He got here under intense pressure to resign following the publication of the Makin report last Thursday, with critics saying that he had lost the trust of the Church of England and that his position had grow to be “untenable”.
The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, was essentially the most high profile figure within the Church of England to call for Welby’s resignation, telling the BBC that his position had grow to be “untenable”.
“I feel that it is very hard for the church, because the national, established church, to proceed to have an ethical voice in any way, shape or form in our nation, once we cannot get our own house so as with regard to something as critically essential [as abuse],” she said.
