The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned, days after a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England
In his resignation statement, Justin Welby says the report "exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth"
He says when he was told in 2013 that police had been notified, "I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow"
Smyth was not brought to justice before his death in South Africa in 2018
Before Welby's resignation, one of Smyth's victims told the BBC about the beatings he suffered
Read the key dates in the scandal here, and how the new leader of the Church of England is chosen here
Image source, PA MediaKing Charles - the supreme governor of the Church of England - exchanged private words with Justin Welby through intermediaries this morning, the PA news agency reports.
These words approved the resignation process which was followed by their aides.
Public words from the King will be reserved for the point of formal departure, PA adds.
On what will happen next, there is a "lengthy process", the BBC's Harry Farley says.
The timings are to be decided, but choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury won't be fast.
There will be a commission to take in opinions across the Church of England and wider Anglican communion - remember, the Archbishop of Canterbury has a global role as head of the worldwide Anglican church.
A committee will then be formed, and they will call people for interview - this can take six months, Farley says.
Image source, EPAStephen Cottrell, pictured last month in York Minister
We can now bring you reaction from Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York - a role that's second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury within the Church of England.
"As I read the Makin review last week and reflected on the terrible abuse perpetrated by John Smyth and shamefully covered up by others, I am, first of all, moved by the accounts of victims and survivors that we have heard from so powerfully," he says.
"They were badly let down by many in different parts of the Church of England."
He adds: "As Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin has decided to take his share of responsibility for the failures identified by the Makin review. I believe this is the right and honourable thing to do.
"Whilst this is a difficult day for Justin, I pray there will be an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the many positive aspects of his ministry and his huge commitment to the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and above all the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Former Anglican priest, Dr Gavin Ashenden, says he is relieved that Justin Welby has resigned.
"I'm relieved, mainly for the victims of sexual abuse but also for the institution itself," he tells BBC News.
"It took almost 10 years of the archbishop's tenure for the [Makin] report to be produced," he adds, calling this "completely unacceptable".
For context: The Makin report into the decades of abuse by John Smyth - a barrister associated with the Church of England - said Welby failed to act properly when he first heard about the abuse in 2013. After the report was published, Welby accepted he "personally failed to ensure... the awful tragedy was energetically investigated"
Image source, PA MediaFollowing Thursday's publication of the Makin review into John Smyth - which was critical of the Archbishop of Canterbury's handling of the case - Justin Welby said he had given resignation "a lot of thought for actually quite a long time".
Speaking to Channel Four last week, Justin Welby added: "I have given it [resigning] a lot of thought and have taken advice as recently as this morning from senior colleagues, and, no, I am not going to resign."
Now, he says "it is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024".
John Smyth was a British barrister who abused boys who he met at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was a senior member of Christian charity the Iwerne Trust and is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England, according to an independent review commissioned a year after his death in 2018.
According to the long-awaited report - led by Keith Makin and published on Thursday - Smyth's abuse of more than 100 children and young men was covered up within the Church of England for decades.
He is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks.
The Iwerne Trust conducted its own investigation in 1982 that found Smyth would take pupils to his home near Winchester and carry out lashings with a garden cane in his shed.
It said eight of the boys received a total of 14,000 lashes, while two more received 8,000 strokes between them over three years.
The charity called the practice "horrific" but the claims were not reported to police until 2013 - more than 30 years later.
Now, Justin Welby says at that point, he "believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow".
We can bring you the full statement now from Justin Welby, after he moments ago announced his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury:
"Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth. When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
"It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
"It is my duty to honour my constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.
"As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse. The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England.
"For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
"In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.
"I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice.
"Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.
"I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve.
"I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us. For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person."
Image source, PA MediaThe Archbishop of Canterbury has announced he will resign following criticism of his handling of a report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England.
Justin Welby had faced mounting pressure to resign after it emerged last week that he did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of John Smyth's "abhorrent" abuse of more than 100 boys and young men.
Stay with us as we bring you more details on this breaking news story.
