The Archbishop of Canterbury, Juston Welby, the highest office of the Anglican Church after King Charles, has announced his resignation following criticism for his handling of the case of John Smyth, a lawyer who ran youth camps linked to the Church of England accused of being a serial pedophile. “I hope this decision makes clear how much the Church of England understands the need for change and our deep commitment to creating a safer Church,” Welby writes. Calls to resign had also come from Anglican clergy, including some bishops, and from a petition signed by thousands of people.
The latest report, edited by lawyer Keith Makin, highlights how “the Church of England has known about Smyth’s misdeeds, at the highest levels, since 2013”. The man is accused of having abused hundreds of boys in the 1970s and 1980s. According to the study, Archbishop Welby had received reports about the man in 2013. “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and traumatic period between 2013 and 2024,” Welby said in announcing his resignation.
Smyth, who died in 2018, was a senior member of the Christian charity Iwerne Trust and is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser associated with the Church of England.
According to the report published on November 7, Smyth’s abuse was kept secret within the Church of England for decades. The abuse consisted of “traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual” attacks. Back in 1982 the Iwerne Trust conducted its own investigation which revealed that Smyth took pupils to his home near Winchester and whipped them with a garden hose in his shed. Eight of the abused boys had reported receiving a total of 14,000 lashes, but the charity, while calling the practice “horrific”, did not report it to the police until 2013, when the archbishop was also made aware of the accusations.
