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☆ Archbishop of Canterbury resigns amid abuse scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Hannah Peart | Hannah Peart Is An Intern In The Nbc News London Bureau. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the spiritual leader of the global Anglican church, resigned Tuesday after an investigation found that he failed to promptly report serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps. Welby said in a statement that he was stepping down "in sorrow" and "having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King." In his resignation letter, Welby acknowledged “personal and institutional responsibility” for “wrongly” believing that there wasn’t a need to make a formal report to police on the case in 2013. The church should have “properly and effectively” reported Smyth to the relevant authorities, the report found. A petition calling for Welby's resignation, created by members of the national assembly of the Church of England, the General Synod, had reached over 13,000 signatures at the time of his announcement on Tuesday.

Persons: Canterbury Justin Welby, Welby, ”, “, John Smyth, Smyth, Stephen Cottrell, Keir Starmer Organizations: LONDON, of England, British Locations: United Kingdom, Africa, Canterbury

☆ Justin Welby: Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over handling of church child abuse case
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the most senior leader in the Church of England, has resigned over his handling of a child abuse case, according to his official account. “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury,” Welby said in a statement on Tuesday. Pressure had been mounting on Welby in recent days, following an independent review into “sickening abuse” committed by John Smyth, a deceased British lawyer considered the worst serial abuser linked to the Church of England. The pair exchanged Christmas cards and Welby donated small sums of money to his “missions” in Zimbabwe. Until now, there’s been no historical precedent for an Archbishop of Canterbury resigning over child abuse.

Persons: Canterbury Justin Welby, “, of Canterbury, ” Welby, Welby, ”, John Smyth, Smyth, Justin Welby, Newcastle, Helen, Ann Hartley, George Carey, of Lincoln, there’s, Canterbury Organizations: CNN, of England, Makin Locations: British, England, Zimbabwe, South Africa, ”, “

☆ Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby faces calls to resign over church child abuse
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

As well as heading the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury acts as the “first among equals” leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States. Although Smyth sought ordination to the Church of England, he was refused and moved to Zimbabwe in 1984. The report estimates he went on to abuse 85 to 100 male children aged 13 to 17 in Africa. During his time in office, Welby has demanded accountability from those accused of mishandling abuse, including his predecessor, Lord Carey, and the former Bishop of Lincoln. A resignation by an Archbishop of Canterbury over child abuse would be without any obvious historical precedent and there is no mechanism with which to remove an archbishop.

Persons: Canterbury, John Smyth, Justin Welby’s, “, Welby, Smyth, Welby “, Justin Welby, ”, Newcastle, Ann Hartley, Marcus Walker, St Bartholomew the Great, Bishop, Guildford, Andrew Watson, ” Smyth, Lord Carey, of Lincoln Organizations: London CNN, of, of England, Episcopal Church, British, Church of England, BBC, CNN, Eton College Locations: of England, United States, Makin, London, ” Lambeth, South Africa, “, Zimbabwe, Africa, Britain, ”

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