The head cleric of the Church of England (CofE), the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned after allegations that he covered up child sex abuse cases for over a decade. Justin Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday, November 12.
The independent Makin Report disclosed that over 130 boys and young men were abused by John Smyth QC starting in the 1970s. The Iwerne Trust, which ran Christian camps affiliated with Smyth, failed to report the findings of an internal inquiry to authorities, allowing Smyth to continue his actions abroad. He died in 2018.
The Makin Report criticized Welby – a frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum – for not ensuring a proper investigation upon becoming aware of the abuse in 2013. Church leadership had known about the incidents since at least July of that year.
In response, three General Synod members initiated a petition demanding a change in leadership, amassing over 13,000 signatures. Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley also called on Welby to resign. Welby eventually wrote a letter to King Charles III, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, seeking permission to resign.
WOKE CHURCH.
In recent years, the Church of England has become increasingly woke, with Brexit leader Nigel Farage saying he refuses to attend his local parish because it has capitulated to a far-left agenda.
For instance, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London published an article claiming Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was a “white supremacist” last year.
The highly liberal church, which has openly lesbian bishops like the Bishop of Monmouth, has also caused conflict in the broader Anglican Communion. Conservative Anglicans, particularly in Africa, have split with the English “mother church,” no longer recognizing the Archbishop of Canterbury as “first among equals” over his support for same-sex blessings.
Others, including Gavin Ashenden, the former Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, have converted to the Roman Catholic Church in recent years.
Image by World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch/Photo Valeriano Di Domenico.