Archbishop of Canterbury Resigns Amid John Smyth’s Sex Abuse Scandal
Justin Welby announced this week his intention to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury, the most prominent position in the Church of England (CoE) and in the wider Anglican Communion.
In a statement Monday (Nov. 11), Welby said his resignation was triggered by the Makin Review, which “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence” regarding the sex abuse scandals of Anglican cleric John Smyth in 2013. The 68-year-old archbishop also told British monarch King Charles III — in his capacity as Defender of the Faith and head of the church — of his intention to step down.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” he added. “I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honored to serve.”
According to the BBC, there is no confirmed timeline on the exact date of Welby’s resignation, and that the naming of his replacement would take at least half a year.
Welby also shared a signed copy of his resignation on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury.https://t.co/aNnuLBMapo pic.twitter.com/pIIR1911QU
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) November 12, 2024
Anglican, Other Responses to Welby’s Resignation
A slew of reactions on Welby’s resignation of the archbishopric of Canterbury flooded social media instantaneously due to the matter being tackled by people from the United Kingdom and those associated with Anglicanism in one way or the other both in the UK or elsewhere.
Many users perceived that Welby should have resigned before the publication of the Makin Review.
However, exiled Anglican priest Rev. Calvin Robinson commended Welby for “doing the right thing,” nonetheless.
Well done, @JustinWelby, for finally doing the right thing and resigning.
The Church of England has a long way to go in restoring trust after too many abuse scandals and coverups.
This was just the first step. pic.twitter.com/V8nawpUme6
— Fr Calvin Robinson (@calvinrobinson) November 12, 2024
“The Church of England has a long way to go in restoring trust after too many abuse scandals and coverups,” he added.
He also jokingly replied to a tweet vouching for him to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
“No one would want me as [the new archbishop],” he said, following it with a list of what he would hypothetically do if elected for the job, including the removal of the CoE’s DEI initiatives, the sacking of female and gay clerics, and reunification with the Catholic Church.
On the other hand, The Spectator associate editor and Catholic podcaster Damian Thompson urged fellow British journalists to put more pressure on the Vatican and expose Pope Francis’s alleged cover-up of disgraced Slovenian priest and alleged sex offender Marko Rupnik after they had forced Welby to resign.
If Archbishop Justin Welby is forced to resign because he failed to act against the abuser John Smyth, then the media MUST finally address even more grave accusations that Pope Francis has personally protected a string of vile sex criminals. They include Francis’s friend #Rupnik,… pic.twitter.com/hFf0PCwx5Z
— Damian Thompson (@holysmoke) November 12, 2024
Meanwhile, former Anglican priest and Traditionalist Catholic podcaster Dr. Taylor Marshall answered Robinson’s cryptic question on whether or not there was a “vacancy in Canterbury,” prior to Welby’s formal resignation announcement.
The See of Canterbury has been sede vacante since 1558. https://t.co/YoshnRnngw
— Dr Taylor Marshall™️ (@TaylorRMarshall) November 12, 2024
“The See of Canterbury has been sede vacante since 1558,” he quipped, referring to the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.
Former Anglican bishop and Catholic intellectual Dr. Gavin Ashenden also shared the signed copy of Welby’s resignation letter, with the caption simply reading: “Sign here.”
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a non-territorial Catholic diocese composed of former Anglicans in the UK, did not immediately respond to both Welby’s resignation or the Makin Review.