Abuse case: Spiritual leader of the Anglican Church resigns

The spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is resigning after intense public pressure over his role in an abuse scandal. Justin Welby is accused of failing to disclose decades of abuse of more than 100 boys and young men by a church lawyer. Senior church officials had called for Welby’s resignation.

One of the duties of the chief clergyman of the Church of England is the coronation of the British monarch. The King, in turn, is the sovereign of the Anglican Church. He also has a seat in the second chamber of parliament, the House of Lords.

Thousands sign petition

The 68-year-old admitted misjudgments. “It is abundantly clear that I must accept personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” Welby wrote to King Charles. Most recently, a bishop as well as high-ranking church representatives and victims of abuse called on him to resign from his office. Thousands signed a petition to this effect.

“I hope this decision demonstrates how seriously the Church of England takes the need for change and our deep commitment to a safer church,” Welby said. “I am resigning from my position with deep sadness for all victims and survivors of abuse.”

An independent investigative report published a few days ago concluded that Welby could and should have reported the abuse when he learned the details shortly after taking office in 2013. Accordingly, the church lawyer, who died in 2018 and never stood trial, invited boys he met at Christian summer camps to his house and gave them thousands of strokes of the cane.

The allegations were only reported to the police in 2013, and the case became known through a TV documentary in 2017. According to the investigation report, the man was advised to leave the country and moved to Zimbabwe, South Africa, without telling police.