Abuse survivors call for further Church of England resignations
- Published
Survivors are calling for further resignations after the Archbishop of Canterbury announced he will step down as the fallout from a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church continues.
Justin Welby quit after a review found he "could and should" have reported John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men to police in 2013.
The unprecedented resignation has left the Church reeling and amplified pressure on other members of the Church to explain what they knew about abuse.
Meanwhile, Church leaders on Wednesday met virtually for talks with victims of John Smyth, many of whom insist Mr Welby's decision to stand down will not in itself be enough.
One bishop responsible for safeguarding said she was open to more resignations - but the Church's second most senior figure, the Archbishop of York, said they should not be bishops.
An independent review published last week found Mr Welby - the most senior bishop within the Church of England - and other church officers should have formally reported Smyth in 2013 to police in the UK and authorities in South Africa.
It said others in the Church had in 1982 participated in a "cover-up" to stop Smyth's abuse coming to light.
Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, and later in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The report found inaction from the Church was a "missed opportunity" to bring Smyth to justice before his 2018 death.
The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, told BBC Radio 4’s Woman's Hour that Mr Welby's resignation was right, but it would be wrong to say that it is a "job done".
She said everyone who was "part of that cover-up ... must be brought to account".
And Martin Gorick, the Bishop of Dudley, told BBC Radio WM he felt "uncomfortable" working alongside anyone who was "covering up" reports from Smyth's victims.
The Church's deputy lead bishop for safeguarding Julie Conalty, said she could not guarantee there was no abuse still going on in the Church, adding no institution "can ever be totally safe".
Mrs Conalty, the Bishop for Birkenhead, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme "very possibly other people should go".
But they should not be bishops, according Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell who is the second most powerful figure in the Church after Mr Welby.
"We now know that some people pretty systematically covered this up, and those people need to be brought to account," he told Today.
Asked about further resignations, he said those who "actively covered this up" should go but the resignation of Mr Welby for "institutional failures" was enough.
He said according to the "the current plan", independent oversight of safeguarding would be in place by next year.
Meanwhile, Bishop of Newcastle Dr Helen-Ann Hartley said progress in changing the safeguarding culture of the Church was "being undermined by the arrogance of a few".
On Tuesday, Mr Welby said that "it is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility" for his response after he was first told about the abuse.
Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, who in 2017 said he was beaten by Smyth, said it was a "turbulent" time for the Church, but described Mr Welby's decision as a willingness to "take responsibility for the wider Church's failings".
“On the ground our churches have continued to make significant improvements in our safeguarding practice," he said in a statement.
Survivors of Church abuse have called for other senior members of the Church to face questions over the handling of the Smyth allegations.
Mark Stibbe, a former vicar and author, told Channel 4 News he thought Mr Welby had "done the right thing" and that he and fellow survivors had been calling for his resignation for years.
"I applaud Justin Welby for resigning but what I think the survivor group would like is more resignations because that means more accountability, people taking responsibility for having been silent when they should have spoken," he said.
"If there are senior clergy who have broken the law then they need to be called to account," he added.
Another survivor, Richard Gittins, told Sky News bishops "who kept the stories to themselves" should now be the focus of questioning.
Other bishops are named in the report into Smyth's abuse including the serving Bishop of Lincoln Stephen Conway.
One of Smyth's victims said Bishop Conway did not do enough when he was informed of the abuse while serving as the Bishop of Ely.
The report said Conway was in a "potentially powerful position" to ensure allegations of serious abuse were being pursued - but the allegations were "not properly investigated" despite his diocese knowing of them from early 2013.
In a statement, Bishop Conway said he was told about details of Smyth's abuse in 2013 and made a detailed disclosure to Lambeth Palace, as well as contacting the diocese in South Africa to which Smyth had fled.
The Archbishop of York defended Bishop Conway, telling Today he "was the first person to do something about this".
He said those who "actively covered this up" should resign but added this was not bishops and said that Mr Welby had taken responsibility for "institutional failings".
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said "it was absolutely the right decision" for Mr Welby to go and that church leaders should not "think that just one head rolling solves the problem".
"There are deep and fundamental issues of not just practice but culture on safeguarding," he told Today.
"The culture of cover-up has been part of the problem on serious abuse for far too long," he added.
- Published12 November
There is no modern comparison for an Archbishop of Canterbury being forced to stand aside.
Attention will begin to turn to the process for selecting his successor, although that will not be quick. A secretive committee will form over the next few months, with the chair appointed by the prime minister.
After a consultation across the UK and the wider Anglican Communion, candidates will be invited for interview.
Two thirds of the committee must agree before a name is sent to the prime minister, who passes it to the King. The monarch, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will ultimately appoint the next archbishop - but that's not expected for several months.