Laura Kuenssberg and Sean Seddon
BBC News
Justin Welby has told the BBC he forgives a serial abuser at the heart of a scandal that led to his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury.
In his first interview since quitting in November last year, Welby said his forgiveness of John Smyth – arguably the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England – was “irrelevant” and it was more important to help victims “rebuild their lives”.
Smyth, who died in 2018, attacked more than 100 boys and young men in the UK and Africa over decades.
A damning 2024 review found Welby “could and should” have done more to bring Smyth to justice, which the former archbishop said he feels a “deep sense of personal failure” over.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Welby said there had been “absolute failure” on Smyth and:
- Said he was “profoundly ashamed” of a speech he gave shortly after resigning where he had made light of his exit
- Expressed frustration at not being able to get the Church’s governing body to introduce fully independent safeguarding or equality for women and gay couples
- Said it would be a “tragedy” for the Church to split between England and other parts of the Anglican communion
- Warned an increasingly diverse UK must create a “cohesive” society………
Welby told the BBC he is “entirely in favour” of independent safeguarding but could not convince the Synod to adopt it. The Archbishop, he said, “is not the chief executive of the Church of England PLC – you can’t make this change by saying, ‘this will now happen’.”
Welby also expressed frustration at the Synod’s refusal to grant greater equality for gay couples and female clergy.
He told the BBC: “I would have loved to be able to wave a magic wand and get it all right… but that isn’t the reality and I didn’t have the votes.”
Asked whether the cultural divides in a global church of 85 million people could lead to a split, Welby said: “I can see it happening. I think it would be a total tragedy because when families split it always leaves huge damage for everyone.”
Read here BBC News website https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj929xd84e3o