Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury has told Channel 4 News he considered resigning over the John Smyth scandal and took counsel from senior colleagues as recently as this morning on his position.
It comes as an official inquiry into John Smyth has today declared the sex offender “the Church of England’s most prolific serial abuser”, after Channel 4 News revealed widespread abuse in 2017.
In an extended interview this afternoon with Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman, the Archbishop told the programme:
“I’ve been giving that a lot of thought for actually quite a long time. There’s nothing over the last ten years that has been as horrible as dealing with not just this one, but innumerable other abuse cases. As you will see from the inquiry and other things, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’ve taken advice as recently as this morning from senior colleagues and no, I’m not going to resign for this. If I’d known before 2013 or had grounds for suspicions, that would be a resigning matter then and now. But I didn’t.”
The report accuses the Archbishop of Canterbury alongside dozens of senior church figures of missing multiple opportunities to stop him.
Speaking exclusively to Channel 4 News, survivor Mark Stibbe who endured beatings at the hands of Smyth in the 1980s said:
“This is not just the matter of a few clergy here and there but people at the highest level of the Church of England – the church that is supposed to be the moral conscience of the nation in many ways, is very distressing.”
Mark Stibbe added: “I think given that there’s been a catastrophic failure and duty of care towards us, victims and others, victims, families as well. Caught up in all of this, I think he should resign…I think that there’s so much shame, so much pain, so much agony associated with this. And it’s huge, Cathy. It’s massive.”
Another victim anonymously tells Channel 4 News: “Someone’s got to take responsibility. He knew most of the victims […] He was the most senior person in the Anglican communion, and you cannot have someone in that position failing so spectacularly, not being held to account”. Asked if he should resign, the victim added: “I believe so”.
The full report from Channel 4 News will air at 7pm tonight on Channel 4. The original investigation is available to view HERE.
