A shocking report about the Church of Englands handling of abuse cases has put Justin Welby in a tough spot‚ as church members ask him to step down. The investigation shows that John Smyth QC hurt more than 130 boys and young-men over many years (which went un-reported until about 10 years ago)
I have given it a lot of thought and have taken advice as recently as this morning from senior colleagues‚ and‚ no; I am not going to resign
Several prominent church figures want Welby to leave his position including:
- Rev Richard Coles - radio host who says leaders who knew must quit
- Rev Giles Fraser - thinks Welby cant keep his job
- Other General Synod members starting a petition
The report points out that Welby met Smyth at christian camps back in the 70s but didnt keep in touch after that. While Welby learned about the case in 2013 he failed to make sure police looked into it - this meant Smyth wasnt investigated until 2017‚ just before he died in South Africa
A Lambeth Palace person says Welby is very sorry for his mistakes and the churchs cover-up but wont quit because he didnt know about the abuse before 2013. The report shows that church leaders could have stopped Smyth earlier if theyʼd told police in both UK and South Africa about him
The investigation found a 3-and-a-half year gap where nothing was done which let Smyth avoid justice. Some people say Welby shouldnt be the only one blamed since other church officials knew more about the abuse for many years but kept it quiet