The spiritual leader of the Anglicans, Justin Welby, announced his resignation on Tuesday, November 12, following the publication of a damning report on the Church of England’s treatment of physical and sexual assaults committed against more than a hundred children and youths.
“I hope this decision shows clearly how much the Church of England understands the need for change and our deep commitment to creating a safer Church.”wrote Justin Welby in a press release. These attacks were carried out by a lawyer as part of his activities with the Church of England between the 1970s and the mid-2010s.
Several Anglican religious leaders have been calling for the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign. If he apologized immediately, it is a blow for the 68-year-old with a face well known to Britons for having officiated during several major royal events in recent years, including Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the king’s coronation. . Charles III.
“Serial attacker”
Although the leadership of the Church was officially informed of these events in 2013, religious leaders had been aware of them since the early 1980s, but kept them silent as part of a “cover-up campaign”concluded an investigation commissioned by the Church, in a report published last Thursday.
John Smith “He is possibly the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England”states this report, which details the physical, sexual and psychological suffering “brutal and horrible” that he inflicted on his victims. For example, he would take young children to his home in southern England, where he would beat them with a cane, sometimes until they bled, citing theological justifications.
The report also concludes that the Archbishop of Canterbury “I could have and should have done it” Report to the police the violence committed by the lawyer since 2013, when he became primate of the Church of England. John Smyth died in 2018 in South Africa at the age of 75 without having been tried. The matter finally came to light after a documentary aired on Channel 4 in 2017.
Welby assured after the publication of the report that there was no “neither idea nor suspicion” before 2013, but who admitted to having “Personally I couldn’t say for sure” that after this date “This horrible tragedy is being vigorously investigated.”.
In more general terms, this issue once again undermines the Anglican religious institution, already accused four years ago in a previous report of having allowed a ” culture “ allow perpetrators of sexual violence against minors ” hide “ and escape justice. According to this report, part of a broader investigation into several institutions in the country, 390 people linked to the Church of England have been convicted of sexual crimes from the 1940s to 2018.
