Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to resign over report into church's 'most prolific abuser'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has announced he will resign, following days of pressure after a damning review into the most prolific abuser associated with the church.

The independent Makin Review concluded that barrister John Smyth might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Mr Welby had apologised but stated that he would not resign, following the review’s publication last week. But in a statement on Tuesday (November 12), he said he had decided to step down from the role, saying he must take "personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024". READ MORE: Sir Keir Starmer speaks out as MPs to vote on proposed new assisted dying law Smyth, who was a lay reader and led Christian summer camps, died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the review published last week said.

Mr Welby acknowledged the review found that, after Smyth’s abuse was subject to wider exposure in 2013, he had “personally failed to ensure” it was “energetically investigated”.