UK: Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over abuse scandal

The Anglican Church's top cleric, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, announced his resignation Tuesday after facing mounting pressure to step down over his handling of an abuse scandal that dates back decades.

Welby had faced days of growing pressure to quit after the independent probe found that in 2013 he failed to tell police about decades of serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps. 

"It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024," Welby admitted in a statement.

"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse," the archbishop said, adding that he was stepping down "in the best interests of the Church of England."

Hours earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer added to the pressure on Welby when he said victims had been "failed very, very badly."

What do we know about the abuse scandal?

Last week, the independent Makin Report criticized Welby's handling of abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s. The report said John Smyth, a British lawyer, had subjected more than 100 boys and young men to "brutal and horrific" physical and sexual abuse over 40 years.

Smyth was chairman of the Iwerne Trust, which funded the Christian camps in Dorset, England, where Welby worked as a dormitory supervisor before he was ordained.

The Church of England "at the highest level" knew about the sexual abuse allegations at the camps in 2013, and Welby learned of the accusations at least that same year, months after he became archbishop, according to the report.

Smyth moved to Zimbabwe in 1984 and later moved to South Africa. He continued to abuse boys and young men in Zimbabwe, and there is evidence that the abuse continued in South Africa until his death in August 2018, according to the report.

Smyth's abuse wasn't made public until a 2017 investigation by Britain's Channel 4 television. It prompted Hampshire police to launch an investigation. At the time of his death, the police planned to question Smyth. They were also preparing to extradite him.

Who can succeed Welby?

Welby's tenure spanned a decade of upheaval as he navigated disputes over gay rights and women clergy between liberal churches, mostly in North America and Britain, and conservative ones, especially in Africa.

Anglican churches in African countries such as Uganda and Nigeria are likely to welcome Welby's resignation. They said last year that they no longer had confidence in him.

Church procedures for appointing a new archbishop of Canterbury require a panel of clergy and a chair appointed by the British Prime Minister to put forward two names.

Graham Usher, the Bishop of Norwich, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, have both been tipped to succeed Welby and become the 106th archbishop of Canterbury.

Usher is in favor of gay rights and has been outspoken on the need to tackle climate change. Francis-Dehqani was born in Iran and has spoken about how her brother was murdered in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution. She would be the first woman to hold the post.

dh/sms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)