November 12, (THEWILL) – The Head, Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has resigned on Tuesday, November 12, after an investigation found that he failed to tell police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.
Pressure on Welby had been building since Thursday, when release of the inquiry’s findings kindled anger about a lack of accountability at the highest reaches of the church.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024. I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve”, Welby said in the statement announcing his resignation.
Welby’s resignation comes against the backdrop of widespread historical sexual abuse in the Church of England. A 2022 report by the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse found that deference to the authority of priests, taboos surrounding the discussion of sexuality and a culture that gave more support to alleged perpetrators than their victims helped make the Church of England “a place where abusers could hide.”
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