The top cleric in the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced he was resigning after facing mounting pressure to quit over his handling of an abuse case.
Archbishop Welby said in a statement on Tuesday that he was “stepping aside in the best interests of the Church of England”.
A review into the case had “exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” he wrote.
“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”
Also Read:
- Sheikh Zakzaky expands Ramadan charity with ‘Iftar Hadiyya’ food distribution
- Obasa condoles with APC Chairman over wife’s death
- Sallah Durbar Celebration: Kano CP assures adequate security amid growing tension
- Abia partners UN-Habitat to deliver Aba master plan
- Delta 2027: APC told to adopt Governor Oborevwori as candidate
Demands for Welby’s resignation had been growing in recent days, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying abuse victims had been “failed very, very badly.”
dpa/NAN.