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Archbishop of Canterbury to remain in post until new year

Reuters Justin Welby, wearing thin-framed spectacles, a dog collar and a black jacket, bears a serious expression as he speaks during a press interviewReuters
Justin Welby resigned from his post last week

The Archbishop of Canterbury is to remain in post until the new year following his resignation over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth.

In a statement on Wednesday, Lambeth Palace, the London home of Archbishop Justin Welby, said he would complete his official duties by 6 January.

Mr Welby announced last Tuesday that he would step down from the role after a review found he "could and should" have reported a prolific child abuser to police.

He is expected to conduct "very little public-facing activity" before leaving the post, the statement said, adding that he "plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments".

Mr Welby's official functions as the Archbishop of Canterbury - the most senior bishop within the Church of England - will be delegated to the Archbishop of York (the second most senior bishop) during the Feast of Epiphany, on 6 January, which marks the visit of the Magi (also known as the three kings or three wise men) to Jesus.

It is the first day after the12 days of Christmas.

Lambeth Palace said more details would be provided on this arrangement "in due course".

“The date on which Archbishop Justin formally ceases to hold office will be set in agreement with the Privy Council," it added.

The 68-year-old faced mounting pressure to resign following the publication of a damning independent report into child abuser John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men.

In a statement last week, Mr Welby said "it is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility" for his response after he was first told about the abuse.

Mr Welby said he was "told that police had been notified" at the time and that he "believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow".

He also said he believed "that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England".

Smyth, a barrister and senior member of a Christian charity, was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.

He later moved to Zimbabwe and later South Africa, where he abused up to 100 boys aged 13 to 17, the review said.

The report found that by 2013, the Church of England "knew, at the highest level" about Smyth's abuse, including Mr Welby who took up the Church's top job that year.

If he and other Church officers had reported this to police in the UK and authorities in South Africa at that time, “John Smyth could have [been] brought to justice at a much earlier point”, the independent report said.

Smyth was under police investigation when he died in South Africa in 2018.

Church abuse survivors have also called for the resignations of other senior members of the church who failed to report Smyth to police.