Church of England head Justin Welby resigns over handling of ‘horrific’ sex abuse scandal
Justin Welby’s decision comes after a report found he failed to adequately address allegations against a volunteer at Christian summer camps
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned “in sorrow” on Tuesday, saying he had failed to ensure there was a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.
Welby, the senior bishop of the Church of England and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, had faced calls to resign after a report last week found he had taken insufficient action to stop a person it described as arguably the Church’s most prolific serial abuser.
In his resignation letter, Welby said he must take “personal and institutional responsibility” for lack of action on the “heinous abuses”.
“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” Welby said 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.”
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the Church’s second-ranking cleric, called Welby’s resignation “the right and honourable thing to do”.
