LONDON (RNS) — Two weeks before Christmas is normally one of the busiest times of the year for the Archbishop of Canterbury, spent preparing his sermon for Canterbury Cathedral’s Christmas morning service that makes the news on British television on Dec. 25.
But this is not a normal Christmas season for outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has entered an unaccustomed period of silence after first stepping down because of the Church of England’s handling of one of its worst abuse scandals, followed by his disastrous valedictory address in the House of Lords last week.
It seems we will hear no more from Welby before he officially leaves his post on Jan. 6 — besides giving up his Christmas sermon, he will not deliver his usual televised New Year’s Day message, the BBC has confirmed. Instead, officials at Lambeth Palace said, this year he will spend the holidays privately with his family.
RELATED: Justin Welby Resigns as Head of Church of England Following Damning Report on Sex Abuse Cover-Up
Welby’s reputation was badly tarnished by the Makin Review, an independent investigation of the church’s response to allegations of abuse against John Smyth, a prominent layman who ran summer camps in England and Zimbabwe. After the report appeared in early November, confirming that Welby had been slow to isolate a suspected abuser, Welby announced he would resign his post a year before he turned 70, when Archbishops of Canterbury traditionally quit.
An ex officio member of the British Parliament’s House of Lords, Welby rose to make his farewell remarks Thursday (Dec. 5) during a debate on housing and homelessness — issues on which he has commented many times during his episcopacy.
His speech did eventually address those topics, but not initially. Instead, Welby began by seeming to make light of his resignation and the serious safeguarding failures detailed in the Makin Review. After joking about a 14th-century predecessor who was beheaded, Welby suggested, “If you pity anyone, pity my poor diary secretary, who has seen weeks and months of work disappear in a puff of a resignation announcement.” He went on to thank fellow members of the Lords for their supportive messages over the past few weeks.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, center, addresses the British Parliament’s House of Lords, Dec. 5, 2024. (Video screen grab)
While some peers and the fellow Church of England bishops seated behind Welby on the parliamentary benches appeared to be amused, the bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, appeared to be mortified, holding her hand across her face. The squirm of embarrassment was also felt by viewers at home and by commentators.
One of Smyth’s victims told The Guardian that he was appalled by Welby’s speech, saying, “I have never come across anyone so tone-deaf.”
The bishops who oversee anti-abuse efforts — Joanne Grenfell, Julie Conalty and Robert Springett — released a letter sent to survivors and their advocates the day after the speech, responding to a rash of emails expressing anger about Welby’s speech.
“Both in content and delivery, the speech was utterly insensitive, lacked any focus on victims and survivors of abuse, especially those affected by John Smyth, and made light of the events surrounding the Archbishop’s resignation,” they wrote. “It was mistaken and wrong. We acknowledge and deeply regret that this has caused further harm to you in an already distressing situation.”
Welby issued a mea culpa the same day, expressing regret at sins of commission and omission. “I understand that my words – the things that I said, and those I omitted to say – have caused further distress for those who were traumatised, and continue to be harmed, by John Smyth’s heinous abuse and by the far-reaching effects of other perpetrators of abuse,” he said in a statement.
