The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he takes “personal and institutional responsibility” for the mishandling of a series of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since he took the reins in 2013.

“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our deep commitment to creating a safer church. “In resigning, I do so with sadness for all victims and survivors of abuse,” Welby, who was favorite as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury said in 2012, in a statement.

Although he was not accused of abuse, Welby was criticized for his response to a series of abuse cases within the church he led. Calls for Welby’s resignation have reached a fever pitch in recent days, led by victims of a notorious Anglican serial sex offender, John Smyth.

The late Smyth, a prominent lawyer who volunteered at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, was later found to have committed physical abuse, sexual abuse and psychological coercion against more than 100 children and young people in several countries. .

A highly anticipated 253-page November 7th. report written by the independent critic Keith Makin offered a harsh criticism of Welby’s handling of the Smyth case.

According to the report, Smyth crossed paths with Welby during the time Smyth was perpetrating his abuse. Welby insisted that the two were never close, even though the two exchanged Christmas cards for a time and Welby made minor donations to Smyth’s missions in Zimbabwe.

Other church officials reportedly learned of Smyth’s abuse as early as 1982. In 2013, after taking over as archbishop, Welby was verbally informed of Smyth’s abuse, but said he mistakenly believed police and authorities local authorities had been informed and decided not to go ahead. action, the report says.

The report also blames the Church of England itself for not prioritizing safeguarding despite having formal safeguarding policies, saying the implementation of those policies was inconsistent and often inadequate.

“Welby suggests that he would definitely have been ‘more active’ if he had known of the seriousness of the crimes in 2013. The evidence contained in this review suggests that enough was known to have raised concerns when informed in 2013,” the report states. .

“Our view… is that Justin Welby had a personal and moral responsibility to move forward with this, whatever the policies at play at the time.”

Following the release of a 2017 documentary that publicly revealed Smyth’s abuse, Welby issued a statement and gave interviews expressing concern for the victims, who felt that Welby’s response was delayed and did not prioritize their needs. He finally met with some victims in 2021 and publicly apologized on behalf of the church.

Welby, in his statement, said that asks for his resignation In recent days, following the publication of the Makin report, “my deep and heartfelt sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England has been renewed”.

He asked for prayers for his wife Caroline and their six children.

“I believe that stepping aside is best for the Church of England, which I love dearly and which I have the honor to serve. “I pray that this decision indicates to us the love that Jesus Christ has for each of us,” he concluded.

To further contextualize Welby’s resignation there is a reckoning in recent years over child abuse in the UK, with an independent investigation in 2022 Uncovering consistent and widespread failures in a number of institutions, including the Church of England, to adequately protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

That report blamed the church for repeatedly prioritizing its reputation over the welfare of children and a tendency to downplay the seriousness of offending, and noted that safeguarding measures within the church were under-resourced until 2015, when resources were increased significantly under Welby’s leadership.

As head of the Church of England, Welby considerable weather resistance of Conservative Anglican leaders after he chaired the Church of England’s governing body in early 2023 vote to bless same-sex couples.

He Global Southern Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA)which claims to represent up to 75% of the world’s Anglicans, issued a statement at the time accusing the Church of England of breaking communion with provinces that remain faithful to a biblical view of marriage between a man and a woman. Debates over same-sex marriage had been simmering within Anglicanism for decades, and the Anglican Communion was significantly fractured in 2003 when the US-based Episcopal Church voted to ordain a gay man into a same sex relationship.

During his tenure, Welby participated in several ecumenical meetings and activities with Pope Francis.

During the summer of 2023, the Pope traveled with Welby and Church of Scotland moderator Iain Greenshields on a “peace pilgrimage” to South Sudan. Meeting with approximately 2,500 South Sudanese refugees on February 4. In 2023, Protestant leaders joined Pope Francis to give the final blessing to the participants. They later appeared together in an ecumenical prayer service which attracted about 50,000 people.

In January, Welby celebrated an Anglican liturgy at the Catholic Basilica of St. Bartholomew, located on Tiber Island in Rome’s Tiber River, as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Welby too celebrated a second ecumenical vespers with Pope Francis for the solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.