Ian Hislop: Jaw-dropping that Welby went to event day after resignation

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby attended a “gathering of the large and good” a time aft helium announced helium was quitting implicit a Church of England maltreatment scandal, the exertion of Private Eye has revealed.

Ian Hislop described it arsenic “jaw-dropping” that Mr Welby had turned up to the British Museum trustees’ yearly meal past week.

The archbishop released a connection connected Tuesday of that week saying helium was stepping down “in sorrow with each victims and survivors of abuse”.

The determination followed days of unit aft a reappraisal concluded that John Smyth – the astir prolific serial abuser to beryllium associated with the Church – mightiness person been brought to justness had Mr Welby formally reported him to constabulary successful 2013.

Hislop, a squad skipper connected satirical amusement Have I Got News For You, said helium was successful disbelief that Mr Welby appeared astatine the depository lawsuit a time later.

In a column, Hislop wrote: “It was a gathering of the ‘great and good’, but arsenic I stood with a portion successful my hand, I couldn’t assistance noticing that the antheral lasting crossed the Great Court from maine was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“This was the time aft helium had been forced to resign successful disgrace for his relation successful an appalling ungraded and cover-up of monstrous maltreatment successful the Church of England. Like galore guests there, I could not judge helium would crook up to a nationalist event. It was jaw-dropping.”

He said Mr Welby had approached his radical and introduced himself, earlier looking astir and commenting, “isn’t this lovely?”

Hislop went on: “I americium acrophobic astatine this constituent I couldn’t incorporate myself and refused to let him to usage the politeness of the British constitution to get distant with what I thought was extraordinarily shameless behaviour. I said, ‘It is beauteous that you person resigned.'”

Hislop said Mr Welby looked amazed by the comment.

Lambeth Palace has said it does not remark connected backstage conversations.

Mr Welby intends to implicit authoritative duties arsenic archbishop by January 6, and is apt to person “very small public-facing activity” betwixt present and that date, Lambeth Palace said connected Wednesday.

Official functions volition beryllium delegated to the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell.

The BBC said Mr Welby volition not present the accepted televised New Year connection connected New Year’s Day.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: “Lambeth Palace person confirmed that determination volition not beryllium a New Year’s connection from the Archbishop of Canterbury this year.

“It volition resume adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile the caller archbishop of Canterbury has been appointed.”

Mr Welby delivered his archetypal televised New Year connection successful 2014, and each twelvemonth since then.

The Church of England has not yet confirmed whether helium volition present the Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.