Following his resignation last November, Justin Welby formally ends his role as Archbishop of Canterbury today (Jan. 6). On what is also his 69th birthday, Welby will lead two Epiphany services before formally laying down his ceremonial staff. Traditionally, most Archbishops of Canterbury serve until age 70.
Welby has led the Church of England and its 85 million worldwide members since 2013. He resigned after a report criticized his handling of egregious sexual abuse allegations against church camp volunteer John Smyth, now deceased.
RELATED: Justin Welby Resigns as Head of Church of England Following Damning Report on Sex Abuse Cover-Up
After a disastrous Dec. 5 farewell speech in the House of Lords, Welby apologized and then stepped back from the spotlight. He didn’t preach on Christmas or deliver a New Year’s message, and the Children’s Society rejected on principle his holiday donation.
Safeguarding Debate Brings Down Justin Welby
Justin Welby resisted initial calls to step down. But in his Nov. 12 resignation statement, the archbishop acknowledged he had to take “personal and institutional responsibility” for not acting sooner on alleged “heinous abuses” by Smyth.
Smyth, an attorney who died in 2018, is suspected of abusing more than 120 boys and young men sexually, physically, and mentally. He volunteered at church camps starting in the late 1970s and also allegedly abused students at numerous schools. “His abuse was prolific, brutal, and horrific,” stated last November’s Makin Review, a report spearheaded by safeguarding specialist Keith Makin.
Smyth relocated to Africa in 1983, and the report noted that “Church officers knew of the abuse [at that time] and failed to take the steps necessary to prevent further abuse occurring.” Welby “could and should have done more” in the case, it added.
In his resignation announcement, Welby said he had “no idea or suspicion” of abuse by Smyth before 2013, when Welby became the Archbishop of Canterbury. But he added that he “personally failed to ensure that after disclosure in 2013, the awful tragedy was energetically investigated.”
According to the Makin Review, Welby said he believed that someone had reported Smyth to police. However, police weren’t involved until after BBC Channel 4 investigated the case in 2017. Smyth was never tried for the alleged crimes.
Welby has commended abuse survivors for speaking out. He also expressed regret for not meeting “quickly with victims after the full horror of the abuse was revealed.”
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