Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, resigned today after an investigation found he failed to notify police of physical and sexual abuse by volunteers at Christian summer camps when he became aware of it.
The pressure on Velbi steadily increased, as the publication of the findings of the investigation caused dissatisfaction with the church's lack of responsibility.
Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, said yesterday that Welby's position was untenable after some members of the church congregation launched a petition calling for him to resign "because he has lost the confidence of the clergy".
"I believe my resignation is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I love dearly and have had the honor of serving," Welby said in a statement.
The strongest outcry came from the victims of John Smythe, a well-known lawyer who over five decades abused teenagers and young men at Christian summer camps in Britain, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Andrew Morse, who was repeatedly beaten by Smythe over a five-year period, said the resignation was a chance for Welby to start repairing the damage the church had done in the wider sense of historical abuse cases.
"I believe now is an opportunity for him to resign," Morse told the BBC.
Reuters reports that Welby resigned "in grief", saying he had failed to secure a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by volunteers at Christian summer camps decades ago.
Welby, also the Church of England's most senior cleric, faced calls to resign after a report last week found he did not do enough to stop one of the church's worst serial abusers.
Church commentators and historians said it was the first time an Anglican archbishop had resigned over an abuse scandal.
In his resignation letter, Welby said he must take "personal and institutional responsibility" for the lack of action on the "heinous abuses".
"The last few days have renewed my long and deep sense of shame at the Church of England's historic failures to protect. As I step down, I do so with regret with all victims and survivors of abuse," he said.
Welby's tenure was marked by a decade of great upheaval in which he was forced to navigate divisions over gay rights and women priests between liberal churches, mainly in North America and Britain, and their conservative counterparts, especially in Africa.
Anglican churches in African countries such as Uganda and Nigeria are likely to welcome his resignation, after saying last year they no longer trusted him, according to Reuters.
His successor's main challenges will include holding together an increasingly volatile Anglican community around the world and trying to reverse declining church attendance,
In Britain, church attendance has fallen by a fifth since 2019.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, another priest of the Church, called Welby's resignation "correct and honourable".
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer respects Welby's decision to resign, his spokesman said today, Reuters reports.
"The prime minister respects the decision that was made. His thoughts are first and foremost with all the victims," the spokesman said.
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