Security personnel were stationed at the entrance to Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Britain, on November 13, 2024. — Reuters
Anglican leaders came under pressure on Wednesday to accelerate reforms following the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over a critical report that concluded the Church of England had covered up a series of abuse cases. Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday amid mounting criticism over his handling of the long-standing scandal, which was triggered by the release of an independent investigation's findings last week. The report revealed that the Church of England, the mother church of Anglicanism, had concealed 'prolific, brutal and horrific' abuse by John Smyth, a lawyer who organized evangelical summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s. The investigation found that Welby 'could and should' have reported the 'traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks' by Smyth to authorities in 2013, when he claims to have first learned of them. This report follows another review published in February that urged the Church to take urgent action to restore trust and confidence in its safeguarding measures after other abuse cases surfaced. Bishop of Birkenhead Julie Conalty stated on Wednesday that Welby's resignation would not resolve the issue and called for institutional changes. 'Very possibly some other people should go,' Conalty told BBC radio, although she declined to name names. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the church's second most senior bishop, acknowledged that 'people do need to be brought to account' for the cover-up while assuring that the recommended reforms were being implemented. Victims of Smyth's abuse have called for further resignations. Mark Stibbe, a former vicar and author, expressed his desire for 'more accountability' on Channel 4 News. The report, led by former social services chief Keith Makin, found that some church officials knew of the abuse claims in the 1980s, while those 'at the highest level' were aware from mid-2013. Smyth, who lived in Africa from 1984, died in South Africa in 2018 at the age of 75 while under investigation by British police and never faced criminal charges. The Church of England has faced abuse claims in the past, but not on the same scale as within the Roman Catholic Church. A 2020 report identified nearly 400 convicted offenders associated with the Church of England from the 1940s until 2018, all related to the sexual abuse of children. Richard Scorer, a lawyer for some of Smyth's victims, noted that in recent years, more cases of sex abuse were emerging from within the Church of England than the Catholic Church.
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