After the publication of a damning report into a decades-long child abuse scandal, Justin Welby has bowed to pressure to resign as archbishop of Canterbury. Harriet Sherwood reports
A former oil executive turned archbishop, it was hoped Justin Welby’s management experience would hold the Church of England together as it navigated the modern world. As the archbishop of Canterbury, he steered a careful path through divisions in the global Anglican church over ordaining women and same-sex marriage. But it was another persistent issue in the church – the mishandling and cover-up of historical sexual abuse scandals – that proved to be his downfall. He was due to retire in January 2026, but a damning report published last week made his position untenable.
John Smyth, a leader of Christian camps attended by people including Welby, used his position to gain power over hundreds of boys. He sadistically beat and tortured at least 130 boys and young men in the UK, Zimbabwe and South Africa over almost 40 years. Some of his victims took their own lives.
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