Archbishop's resignation 'the right decision'

Dr Croft said the review's findings were "extremely upsetting"

The Bishop of Oxford said the Archbishop of Canterbury made the “right decision” to resign following a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the church.

The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft said the findings of the review into John Smyth’s abuse of boys and young men were “extremely upsetting”.

Justin Welby will quit his role after a review found he “could and should” have effectively reported Smyth’s abuse to police in 2013.

Dr Croft said the scandal “undercuts the good and wonderful work that is being done in many parishes every day in communities which are perfectly safe”.

The independent review published last week found Mr Welby - the most senior bishop within the Church of England - and other church officers should have "properly and effectively" reported Smyth in 2013 to police in the UK and authorities in South Africa.

Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.

The report found inaction from the Church was a "missed opportunity" to bring Smyth to justice before his death in 2018.

Mr Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday

“It is extremely upsetting. I think the focus of our attention needs to be on the people who are hurt – the victims and survivors of John Smyth and the terrible ordeal that they suffered,” Dr Croft told BBC Radio Oxford.

“It does seem to me [Mr Welby’s resignation] it is the right decision given the full scope of what was released last week.”

The review, led by Keith Makin, found that after 2013, church officers “knew of the abuse and failed to prevent further abuse".

“We’ve seen in so many different institutions stories of abuse emerging over the last decade. Each one is upsetting,” Dr Croft added.

“This one is particularly upsetting because it’s right at the heart of the life of the Church of England. We must never be complacent and just say: this must not happen again. We must make sure it doesn’t.”

Dr Croft himself apologised in May 2023 for a "costly" mistake following a man's complaint that he was raped as a teenager by a vicar.

The Reverend Trevor Devamanikkam was facing charges of rape but killed himself in 2017 before his case came to court.

He faced six charges relating to sexual assaults alleged to have taken place between March 1984 and April 1985, while a vicar in Bradford.

The victim said he told Dr Croft in 2012 when he was Bishop of Sheffield, and other senior members of the Church of England, but nothing was done.

A review found that Dr Croft did not act sufficiently on the disclosures in 2012.