Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has expressed forgiveness towards a serial abuser at the heart of a scandal that led to his resignation from the Church of England’s leadership. He also conveyed deep shame for subsequent comments he made on the matter.
In his first interview after stepping down last November, Welby admitted that he had not fully considered the implications when he initially decided not to resign following the scandal last year.
Welby became the first archbishop to quit following an independent review that criticized him for not taking decisive and swift action concerning allegations of abuse by John Smyth.
It is believed that about 130 boys were victims of Smyth, a powerful lawyer who passed away in 2018.
When asked about forgiving Smyth, Welby responded in a BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg by affirming, “Yes,” indicating that his forgiveness does not diminish the abuse suffered by the victims.
A survivor of Smyth’s abuse responded to Welby’s comments, reflecting on the Church’s handling of the situation as being more traumatic than the original abuse itself.
The independent review led by Keith Makin indicated grave failures in handling the abuse and recommended improvements to safeguarding practices within the Church. Had the archbishop formally reported the allegations to the police a decade earlier, it could have led to justice for the victims.
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Although initially hesitant to resign over the scandal’s report, Welby decided to step down after the report was leaked, acknowledging that reflection on the survivors’ suffering made him realize the need for his departure.
Welby also expressed regret over a speech to the House of Lords where he referenced a 14th-century beheading, which caused widespread offense and anger from abuse victims and others.
He took responsibility for his actions, stating that he should not have made the speech and remains deeply ashamed of it.
Welby further explained that he was overwhelmed by the scale of the abuse crisis in the Church at the time, saying that numerous undealt-with cases were emerging daily, making it an extraordinarily challenging period.
The survivor reacting to Welby’s interview questioned why the handling of Smyth’s abuse was not a higher priority, questioning what else could have overwhelmed Welby to such an extent.
