Church of England has ‘deep & fundamental issues’ – Welby’s head rolling doesn’t solve problem, cabinet minister slams
THE Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation won’t be enough to solve the crisis shaking the Church of England, a Cabinet Minister has warned.
Wes Streeting insisted the Church must face up to “deep and fundamental issues” in the way it handles abuse allegations.
Speaking as a as an “Anglican” rather than Health Secretary, he said Justin Welby stepping down was “absolutely the right decision”.
But he told the BBC this morning he felt a “deep sense of shame” about the Church of England‘s failures.
Mr Streeting said: “This is happening time and time and time again.
“So it is right that the Archbishop of Canterbury has taken responsibility for his failures and the failures of the church overall.
“What I would say – and I’m speaking as an Anglican, not as a Government minister – to other leaders of my church is that don’t think that one head rolling solves the problem.
“There are deep and fundamental issues of not just practice, but culture on safeguarding that needs to be taken seriously.”
He praised Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley, who called for Mr Welby to quit, saying she had “the courage to speak up, because the conspiracy of silence has been part of the problem”.
“The culture of cover-up has been part of the problem on serious abuse allegations for far too long and I’m glad that the Archbishop of Canterbury has taken responsibility,” he added.
His comments come as Mr Welby yesterday announced he would resign.
The Anglican bishop, 68, faced mounting pressure to quit over his handling of the John Smyth abuse case.
The Makin Review concluded that Smyth, a prolific abuser associated with the Church of England, might have faced justice had Mr Welby formally alerted authorities in 2013.
Smyth, who was a lay reader and led Christian summer camps, died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018.
He was under investigation by Hampshire Police and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review published last week said.
Mr Welby has acknowledged the review found that he had “personally failed to ensure” it was “energetically investigated”.
In a statement issued by Lambeth Palace, Mr Welby said: “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 12 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.
Justin Welby has certainly had a lot to say for himself
By JACK ELSOM
FOR a man supposed to be God’s conduit on Earth, Justin Welby has certainly had a lot to say for himself.
As Archbishop of Canterbury he waded into countless political debates well outside the purview of the Church.
From Rwanda to Brexit, he never shied away from an opinion – even when many wished he would observe a trappist silence.
To his supporters, he was a beacon of morality. To his critics, he was meddling shamelessly in matters that did not concern him.
Brexit
He famously sparked the ire of Tory MPs when considering a role chairing a Citizens Assembly to plot a path back into the EU.
At the time, Boris Johnson was threatening to leave the bloc with no-deal but could not force it through a Parliament deadlock.
Offering his services to break the impasse, Welby said: “Jesus Christ is the source of reconciliation and healing for individuals and society.”
While promising he was not intending to thwart the referendum, Brexiteer Tories fumed he was inserting himself into a political debate.
Partygate
His sermons continued to rub them up the wrong way when twisting the knife into Boris Johnson over Partygate.
Quick to tour the TV studios, Welby said: “Standards in public life are the glue that holds us together – we need to rediscover them and abide by them.”
In a statement he added: “We need to be able to trust our national institutions, particularly in times of great trouble.”
Rwanda
But perhaps his most controversial intervention was lecturing how the Rwanda migration plan was opposite to “the nature of God”.
He slammed the “moral and practical” concerns about the Government’s then-flagship migration policy – and led his gaggle of Bishops in voting against it.
It sparked anger from critics including former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who said bishops should not be “drawn into opining on the veracity of asylum claims, for whilst they may practise the word of God they do not possess his all-knowing wisdom”.
And so perhaps we should not be surprised his resignation had a whiff of Westminster departure about it.
A steady drip-drip of calls to quit, he digs in hoping to weather the storm, the pressure builds, and then the dam bursts and he bows to the inevitable.
“I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.”
This comes after private words were exchanged between King and Archbishop before Starmer’s statement this morning.
However, the conversation was between intermediaries and they did not speak directly or meet in person.
Public words from King Charles about Mr Welby will be released when he officially leaves his role, rather than after his resignation.
This is not a snub, but the process and protocol.
Mr Welby knew Smyth because of his attendance at Iwerne Christian camps in the 1970s.
But the review said there was no evidence that he had “maintained any significant contact” with the barrister in later years.
The 105th Archbishop of Canterbury said he had “no idea or suspicion of this abuse” before 2013.
Over five decades between the 1970s until his death, Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.
The report said Smyth “could and should have been formally reported to the police in the UK, and to authorities in South Africa (church authorities and potentially the police) by church officers, including a diocesan bishop and Justin Welby in 2013”.
When the Makin report was published, Mr Welby admitted he had considered resigning but decided not to after taking advice from “senior colleagues”.