The Archbishop of Canterbury has announced he will step down from his role following a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England.
The review found that Justin Welby, 68, "could and should" have reported John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men to police in 2013. In a statement, Mr Welby said that "it is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility" for his response after he was first told about the abuse.
"I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England. I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.
"As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse." A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he respected the decision that was taken and that his thoughts remain first and foremost with all the victims.
It was not immediately clear when the archbishop would leave his post but the process of finding a replacement is likely to take at least six months. Last week, an independent report found inaction from the Church was a missed opportunity to bring Smyth to justice before his 2018 death.
In his resignation statement, Mr Welby said that he was told that police had been notified at the time and that he believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow. He also spoke of his sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church over the days since the report was published.
"For nearly 12 years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done," he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Church of England and leads 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries around the world.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the Church had made progress in safeguarding under Mr Welby's leadership but added: "There is much further to go." The Church's lead safeguarding bishop, Joanne Grenfell, said the archbishop's resignation "didn’t absolve any of them from bringing about the wholesale changes in culture and leadership that are essential".
Former vicar Mark Stibbe, a survivor of Smyth's abuse, said Mr Welby had "done the right thing" in resigning. "What I think the survivor group would like is more resignations because that means more accountability," he said.
