Justin Welby controversies after quitting as Church of England leader over abuse scandal

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation comes aft a damning reappraisal published past week concluded a prolific abuser mightiness person been brought to justness had Welby formally alerted authorities successful 2013

When helium was enthroned arsenic Archbishop of Canterbury implicit a decennary ago, Justin Welby told however being nominated was “astonishing”.

And, arsenic helium revealed his resignation today, helium is apt to person been near scratching his caput astatine however rapidly his enactment of the Church of England unravelled. Only connected Sunday, Welby’s spokesperson said helium did not mean to quit. It came aft a damning reappraisal was published past week into the astir prolific abuser associated with the Church of England.

The autarkic study concluded John Smyth mightiness person been brought to justness had Welby formally alerted authorities successful 2013. But much atrocious quality came for Welby connected Monday erstwhile a Church of England bishop called connected him to spell – saying his presumption was “untenable”. Welby, 68, has ne'er been acold from controversy, successful the eyes of immoderate perhaps, during his clip successful the prestigious station – often speaking retired connected issues.

During the Covid pandemic, helium urged Boris Johnson’s authorities to widen escaped schoolhouse meals. And lone successful May past year, Welby labelled the past government’s flagship amerciable migration measure “morally unacceptable”. In the aforesaid month, helium issued a plea to Tory-run Downing Street and Keir Starmer’s Labour to scrap the two-child payment payments limit.

“The two-child bounds falls abbreviated of our values arsenic a society”, helium told the Observer. “It denies the information that each children are of adjacent and immeasurable worth, and volition person an interaction connected their semipermanent health, wellbeing and acquisition outcomes.” Just past month, Welby criticised the bid to legalise assisted dying. In a statement, helium said “legalising assisted termination would disproportionately interaction galore millions of susceptible people, who mightiness comprehend themselves arsenic a load connected those astir them and the wellness service”.

Earlier this year, Welby besides took purpose astatine alleged cancel civilization – informing astir radical posting “something stupid” arsenic a teen paying “for it forever”. And wrong the church, Welby has dealt with part implicit the contented of same-sex blessings.

After a ballot successful 2023 successful favour of the move, an organisation representing immoderate Anglican churches questioned his fittingness to lead. Welby’s idiosyncratic communicative is 1 that has been touched with tragedy.

When Welby was conscionable 21, his father, Gavin, died "as a effect of the intoxicant and smoking". But successful 2016, helium revealed that his biologic dada was successful information the precocious Sir Anthony Montague Browne; Sir Winston Churchill's past backstage secretary. This had travel arsenic "a implicit surprise" done DNA evidence, Welby said astatine the time, having believed his begetter was Gavin Welby, the antheral who raised him.

His mother, Lady Williams of Elvel – who died aged 93 past summertime – described the revelation arsenic "an astir unbelievable shock", but added she recalled going to furniture with Sir Anthony "fuelled by a ample magnitude of intoxicant connected some sides". She had besides battled alcoholism and Welby has antecedently said that "as a effect of my parents' addictions my aboriginal beingness was messy".

Welby had an improbable grooming to go caput of the Church of England having spent 11 years successful the lipid manufacture earlier being ordained successful 1992. In March 2013, helium was installed arsenic Archbishop of Canterbury successful a work astatine Canterbury Cathedral and has gone connected to preside implicit Royal weddings and funerals.

His vocal enactment whitethorn person won him credit. But, successful the end, it was arguably his words that undid him. In 2017, Welby told Channel 4 News – which investigated Smyth – that helium “genuinely had nary thought that determination was thing arsenic horrific arsenic this going connected and the benignant of communicative you showed connected the clip”.

The Church of England leader, who knew Smyth during the 1970s and 80s, added: "If I’d known that, I would person been precise active, but I had nary suspicions astatine all." However, past week’s Makin reappraisal recovered that “enough was known to person raised concerns upon being informed successful 2013”.