The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, head of the global Anglican Church, has resigned from his position. Sharpnews.ng reports Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday......READ THE FULL STORY>>.....READ THE FULL STORY>>
Welby was accused of cover-up in a case involving the abuse of at least 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa.
John Smyth was accused of attacking boys and young men he met at Christian camps in the 1970s and 1980s. The British lawyer helped lead Christian summer camps in the U.K. and other countries.
He died in South Africa in 2018 at the age of 77 without ever facing any legal proceedings. However, a recent review into his abuse of the children and young men was published last week.
In his resignation letter sighted by TNG, Archbishop Welby took “personal and institutional responsibility” and disclosed that he will follow through on his commitment to meet victims.
The letter reads: “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury. The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.
“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow. It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
“It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
“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 last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
“In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.
“I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.
“I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.
“For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person”.