The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who is in that position the head of the Anglican Communion grouping affiliated churches around the world has resigned his position.
His resignation is over misgivings over his handling of a child abuse case linked to the late John Smyth who was embroiled a child abuse case.
Welby as the Archbishop of Canterbury sat as head of the Anglican communion with a congregation of about 85 million spread across 165 countries.
Recall that pressure had been mounting on Justin Welby to resign following the submission of a report on the abuses allegedly committed by Smyth, a deceased lawyer who was close to the Church of England.
The report was released on November 7 and clearly indicated negligence by the church and inclinations towards protecting John Smyth.
Following his resignation, Justin Welby, however, did not state when he exactly he would step down given constitutional and other obligations to His Majesty, King Charles III.
In his statement on why he decided to resign, Justin Welby said:
Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth.
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.
It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.
I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.
The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England. For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.
In the meantime, I will follow through on my commitment to meet victims. I will delegate all my other current responsibilities for safeguarding until the necessary risk assessment process is complete.
I ask everyone to keep my wife Caroline and my children in their prayers. They have been my most important support throughout my ministry, and I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice. Caroline led the spouses’ programme during the Lambeth Conference and has travelled tirelessly in areas of conflict supporting the most vulnerable, the women, and those who care for them locally.
I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us.
For above all else, my deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person.
With his decision, that the Anglican Communion comprising a congregation of about 85 million people spread around 165 countries will now have to seek a new leader.
With the resignation, Justin Welby has followed the path of accountability he had set for church officials including his predecessor, George Carey.
