The Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation comes after a damning review published last week concluded a prolific abuser might have been brought to justice had Welby formally alerted authorities in 2013
When he was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury over a decade ago, Justin Welby told how being nominated was “astonishing”.
And, as he revealed his resignation today, he is likely to have been left scratching his head at how quickly his leadership of the Church of England unravelled. Only on Sunday, Welby’s spokesman said he did not intend to quit. It came after a damning review was published last week into the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England.
The independent report concluded John Smyth might have been brought to justice had Welby formally alerted authorities in 2013. But more bad news came for Welby on Monday when a Church of England bishop called on him to go – saying his position was “untenable”. Welby, 68, has never been far from controversy, in the eyes of some perhaps, during his time in the prestigious post – frequently speaking out on issues.
During the Covid pandemic, he urged Boris Johnson’s government to extend free school meals. And only in May last year, Welby labelled the then government’s flagship illegal migration bill “morally unacceptable”. In the same month, he issued a plea to Tory-run Downing Street and Keir Starmer’s Labour to scrap the two-child benefit payments limit.
“The two-child limit falls short of our values as a society”, he told the Observer. “It denies the truth that all children are of equal and immeasurable worth, and will have an impact on their long-term health, wellbeing and educational outcomes.” Just last month, Welby criticised the bid to legalise assisted dying. In a statement, he said “legalising assisted suicide would disproportionately impact many millions of vulnerable people, who might perceive themselves as a burden on those around them and the health service”.
Earlier this year, Welby also took aim at so-called cancel culture – warning about people posting “something stupid” as a teenager paying “for it forever”. And within the church, Welby has dealt with division over the issue of same-sex blessings.
After a vote in 2023 in favour of the move, an organisation representing some Anglican churches questioned his fitness to lead. Welby’s personal story is one that has been touched with tragedy.
When Welby was just 21, his father, Gavin, died “as a result of the alcohol and smoking”. But in 2016, he revealed that his biological dad was in fact the late Sir Anthony Montague Browne; Sir Winston Churchill’s last private secretary. This had come as “a complete surprise” through DNA evidence, Welby said at the time, having believed his father was Gavin Welby, the man who raised him.
His mother, Lady Williams of Elvel – who died aged 93 last summer – described the revelation as “an almost unbelievable shock”, but added she recalled going to bed with Sir Anthony “fuelled by a large amount of alcohol on both sides”. She had also battled alcoholism and Welby has previously said that “as a result of my parents’ addictions my early life was messy”.
Welby had an unlikely training to become head of the Church of England having spent 11 years in the oil industry before being ordained in 1992. In March 2013, he was installed as Archbishop of Canterbury in a service at Canterbury Cathedral and has gone on to preside over Royal weddings and funerals.
His vocal leadership may have won him credit. But, in the end, it was arguably his words that undid him. In 2017, Welby told Channel 4 News – which investigated Smyth – that he “genuinely had no idea that there was anything as horrific as this going on and the kind of story you showed on the clip”.
The Church of England leader, who knew Smyth during the 1970s and 80s, added: “If I’d known that, I would have been very active, but I had no suspicions at all.” However, last week’s Makin review found that “enough was known to have raised concerns upon being informed in 2013”.
