30 Church of England officials “face the sack”
The Telegraph reports that more than 30 clergy and officials in the Church of England face the sack over the cover up of abuse by John Smyth. It says there was a meeting yesterday morning of Smyth’s survivors who were told that the church’s national safeguarding team is working through a list of names identified in the Makin report. The Telegraph says that over the summer, the team asked a barrister to advise on whether failings were sufficient to warrant the sack or other disciplinary measures. One of the names is said to be Canon Andrew Cornes, who knew about the abuse in 1982 and is now on the commission to appoint the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Survivors have called for the resignation of Bishop Jo Bailey-Wells, Bishop Stephen Conway, and the Rev Sue Colman.
“No more bishops need to resign”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that those who actively covered up the abuse by John Smyth, who were not the bishops, need to be brought to account. Asked whether he was saying other bishops should go, he said the Archbishop of Canterbury had resigned for institutional failures and he agreed this was enough. Asked why Justin Welby didn’t pursue the case, Stephen Cottrell said: “There have been great steps taken in safeguarding in the Church under his watch. But in this case perhaps he relied too much on others — I simply don’t know — but I think what I am trying to focus on now is what we need to do to make the Church a safer place.” Today 0750
The Church of England “is not a safe institution”
Julie Conalty, Bishop of Birkenhead and deputy lead bishop for safeguarding, said there is an “institutional problem where survivors and victims are not at the centre and so in some ways we are not a safe institution”. She told the Today programme that Justin Welby had “done the right thing” by resigning, but “Just the archbishop of Canterbury resigning is not going to solve the problem. This is about institutional changes, our culture and a systemic failure, so there must be more that we need to do. Very possibly some of the people should go.” Today 0710
One head rolling doesn’t solve the issue
The Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a member of the Church of England, told Today that Welby’s resignation was the right decision. The failure of institutions to act is happening time and again: “I don’t think one head rolling solves the problem. There are deep and fundamental issues of practice and culture on safeguarding that need to be taken seriously. I want to commend the Bishop of Newcastle for speaking up, because the culture of cover-up has been part of the problem on serious abuse allegations for far too long.” Today 0810
The problem exported to Africa
The Church Times reports that the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, has made an urgent request for a timeline of events of John Smyth’s activities in South Africa. Smyth was persuaded to move to Zimbabwe in 1984 and moved again to South Africa in 2001, where he worshipped at an Anglican church. The Makin report says 85 boys were abused in these places and the problem had been “exported to Africa”. Dr Makgoba’s statement is here
The CEO with an agenda-driven episcopacy
Catherine Pepinster writing in The Guardian, warns of irreparable harm to the Church of England and the tragic mistake of running it with business efficiency instead of listening. She points to the shortfalls of an agenda-driven episcopacy, giving the example of latest attempts to introduce an independent system of safeguarding, delayed due to synod processes.
Read our content on the Religion Media Centre website
Resignation statement >>
Justin Welby resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury after 12 turbulent years. By Catherine Pepinster >>
Reaction to the resignation Religion News 13 November 2024 >>
The day after: Welby has gone … what happens next? By Rosie Dawson >>
Welby: Timeline of archbishop’s fall from grace. By Tim Wyatt >>
Briefing: ‘Seismic shock’ as Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over abuse scandal. Discussion chaired by Roger Bolton, with guests Andrew Graystone, Susie Leafe, Mark Stibbe, Frances Martin, Professor Linda Woodhead, Prof Helen King. Links to the YouTube recording and podcast are here. Report here
Other news
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