Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby quits over abuse scandal

The leader of the world's Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, on Tuesday resigned following a damning report that concluded the Church of England covered up a serial abuse case.

Welby had faced days of growing pressure to quit after the independent probe found Welby "could and should" have formally reported decades of abuse by a Church-linked lawyer to authorities in 2013.

A petition demanding his resignation, launched in the wake of the report's revelations, garnered nearly 14,000 signatures while leading clergy, including some bishops, were increasingly urging him to quit.

"It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024," said Welby, 68.

"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 independent Makin Review, led by former social services chief Keith Makin, concluded that John Smyth, a lawyer who organised evangelical summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, was responsible for "prolific, brutal and horrific" abuse of as many as 130 boys and young men.

It found the Church of England — the mother church of Anglicanism — covered up the "traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks", which occurred in Britain, Zimbabwe and South Africa over several decades.

Smyth, who lived in Africa from 1984, died aged 75 in South Africa in 2018 while under investigation by British police. He never faced any criminal charges.

Appointed the Church of England's highest-ranking cleric in 2013, Welby has apologised for what occurred but previously insisted he would not resign because he did not know about the wrongdoing before then.

On Tuesday, he said he was told the year that police had been notified and had "believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow".

Hours earlier, United Kingdom's Prime Minister Keir Starmer had ratcheted up the pressure on Welby when he said Smyth's victims had been "failed very, very badly".

Asked whether Welby should stand down, Starmer said it was "a matter, in the end, for the Church".

"But I'm not going to shy away from the fact that these are horrific allegations and that my thoughts are with the victims in relation to it," he added.

Starmer's spokesman said later that the prime minister "respects the decision". 

King Charles III, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, approved the resignation, Buckingham Palace said.

Welby's successor is appointed by the king on the recommendation of the 16-member Crown Nominations Committee, which includes senior clergy and lay members. The decision can take months.