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Finally, Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over church child abuse scandal
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, shown on November 21, 2023, resigned on Tuesday. The most senior official in the Church of England was accused of failing to reprimand a prolific child abuser. Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images
CNN
—
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the most senior leader in the Church of England, has resigned over his handling of a child abuse case, according to his official account.
Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury,” Welby said in a statement on Tuesday.
Pressure had been mounting on Welby in recent days, following an independent review into “sickening abuse” committed by John Smyth, a deceased British lawyer considered the worst serial abuser linked to the Church of England.
The incriminating report, commissioned by the church and released November 7, tracked a “worrying pattern of deference” to Smyth, concluding that “a serious crime was covered up.”
In Welby’s resignation statement, he said the 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,” Welby added. “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”
In his statement, the archbishop said the “exact timings” of when he officially leaves office were yet to be decided and would be established “once a review of necessary obligations has been completed.” It leaves open the possibility that the archbishop will remain in position over the Christmas period, while the process of finding his successor is expected to take many months. Welby, 68, will turn 70 on January 6, 2026, the retirement age for bishops in the Church of England, which meant he only had a little over a year left in post.
While it is custom for Archbishops of Canterbury to be elevated to the House of Lords, Britain’s upper parliamentary chamber, after they leave office, the circumstances of Welby’s resignation will likely bring opposition against such a move.
Welby, a former oil executive, took up his post in March 2013 and was chosen as a skilled manager alongside his ability to hold different groups in the church together and focus on evangelization. However, disagreements over same-sex relationships have fractured church unity and have tested his authority.
On abuse, he described himself as “ashamed” of the church, although insisted he sought to improve the church’s response including dramatically boosting personnel numbers for its national safeguarding personnel. Nevertheless, problems persisted, and last year the chair of the church’s safeguarding office resigned.
A resignation by the Archbishop of Canterbury is extremely rare in the church’s history, and a resignation over the handling of abuse is without precedent. Welby’s decision to stand down underlines how the scourge of sexual abuse has damaged the credibility of the church, with accountability demanded of its leaders.
Summer camps
Smyth perpetrated “traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks” on as many as 130 boys and young men, with abuse spanning from the 1970s up until his death, in 2018 – according to the Makin Review.
He was accused of abusing his own family members, as well as attendees of evangelical Christian summer camps he helped run for students from Britain’s prestigious private colleges in the 1970s and 1980s.
From 1984 to 2001, when Smyth relocated to Zimbabwe and then South Africa, church officers “knew of the abuse and failed to take the steps necessary to prevent further abuse occurring,” the report added. Welby worked at the summer camps that Smyth helped run. The pair exchanged Christmas cards and Welby donated small sums of money to his “missions” in Zimbabwe.
In 2017, Channel 4 News reported on Smyth’s abuse. After the publication of the independent review earlier this month, Welby told the network he “did not” ensure the allegations were pursued as “energetically” and “remorselessly” as they should have been, when he rose to the highest rank in the church, in 2013. He was first ordained as a priest in 1993.
The church’s review found that there was a “missed opportunity” in 2012 and 2013 by the highest levels of the church to “properly” report him to law enforcement.
The review said that “it is not possible to establish whether Justin Welby knew of the severity of the abuses in the UK prior to 2013,” adding: “It is most probable that he would have had at least a level of knowledge that John Smyth was of some concern.”
The Bishop of Newcastle was the most high-ranking church official to call for Welby’s resignation. On Monday, Helen-Ann Hartley told the BBC that it would be untenable for members of the clergy to “have a moral voice… when we cannot get our own house in order.”
Throughout his tenure, Welby has demanded accountability from those accused of mishandling abuse, including his predecessor, George Carey, and the former Bishop of Lincoln. Until now, there’s been no historical precedent for an Archbishop of Canterbury resigning over child abuse.
Gunshots disrupted the senatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo Central Senatorial District on Monday following the invasion of some voting centres by suspected political thugs.
The incident occurred in parts of Ondo State, particularly at Ward 5, Okelisa, Amudipe Street, Akure, where hoodlums reportedly attacked supporters of Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire.
Adegbomire, who is seeking the APC senatorial ticket, reportedly escaped unhurt after his vehicle came under gun attack during the chaos.
The suspected thugs were alleged to be loyal to one of the aspirants participating in the primary election.
Witnesses said the assailants fired several gunshots into the air and also shot at the senator’s vehicle before security operatives hurriedly evacuated him from the scene.
The development caused panic in the area as journalists covering the exercise, traders, and pupils of Ebenezer Primary School fled for safety.
The attackers were also said to have wielded machetes while assaulting voters and disrupting the counting process at the ward.
Speaking with journalists after the incident, Adegbomire alleged that the primary election was deliberately sabotaged.
The senator claimed the exercise appeared to be favouring him before the disruption occurred, alleging that thugs were deployed to prevent his supporters from participating in the process.
According to him, voting had commenced at his ward with supporters lining up behind their preferred aspirants before the violence erupted.
He explained that while the counting process was ongoing, the attackers stormed the venue, fired gunshots, attacked people with machetes, and disrupted the exercise.
Adegbomire further alleged that similar incidents were recorded in other parts of the senatorial district, claiming that some voters believed to be supporting him were prevented from accessing polling venues.
He also accused the perpetrators of using intimidation and violence to influence the outcome of the exercise.
News
Just in: Ex-Reps member, Ogbeide-Ihama defeats serving Senator Imasuen, Pastor Ize- Iyamu Edo APC Senate primaries
A popular former member of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Omorgie Ogbeide-Ihama has floored a serving Senator, Ned Imasuen and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in Edo South Senatorial District All Progressives Congress APC primaries.
Ogbeide-Ihama, an Engineer who vied into politics two decades ago has a reputation of beating his political rivals seamlessly since 2015.
This he has exhibited again in the Edo South Senatorial District primaries flooring two political heavyweights in one swipe.
He was a two-term member of the HoR 2015-2023
Local Government Areas results:
Oredo: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,950
Imasuen: 1,974
Ize-Iyamu: 986
Ohuonmde: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 2,626
Imasuen: 1,314
Ize-Iyamu: , 657
Ovia North East: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,514
Imasuen: 1,759
Ize-Iyamu: 878
Ovia South West: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 4,263
Imasuen: 2,759
Ize-Iyamu: 1,065
Ikpoba Okha: Ogbeide-Ihama 5,517
Imasuen: 2,759
Ize-Iyamu: 1,378
Orhionwon: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,058
Imasuen: 1,529
Ize-Iyamu: 765
Egor: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 4,226
Imasuen: 2,114
Ize-Iyamu: 1056
Oredo: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,950
Imasuen: 1,974
Ize-Iyamu: 986
Ohuonmde: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 2,626
Imasuen: 1,314
Ize-Iyamu: , 657
Ovia North East: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,514
Imasuen: 1,759
Ize-Iyamu: 878
Ovia South West: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 4,263
Imasuen: 2,759
Ize-Iyamu: 1,065
Ikpoba Okha: Ogbeide-Ihama 5,517
Imasuen: 2,759
Ize-Iyamu: 1,378
Orhionwon: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 3,058
Imasuen: 1,529
Ize-Iyamu: 765
Egor: Ogbeide-Ihama polled 4,226
Imasuen: 2,114
Ize-Iyamu: 1056
[5/18, 3:47 PM] Emman Ovuakporie: Grand total: Ogbeide-Ihama 27,154
Imasuen: 13,580
Ize-Iyamu: 6,785
…Developer, engineer face arrest
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Monday ordered a full-scale investigation into the building collapse in Abuja that claimed four lives, directing that the premises be sealed off immediately.
Wike also disclosed that an engineer linked to the collapsed structure had been arrested, while the developer would equally face arrest and a panel set up to unravel the cause of the collapse.
The Minister, who visited the scene the collapsed building on Monday, described the incident as “very pathetic,” stressing that the government would not compromise on the safety of residents.
“From the report I got, we lost four people and some lives were saved. It’s very pathetic. Nobody is happy when you lose somebody,” Wike said.
“The Department of Development Control has sealed off the premises. We are going to set up a panel to really look at what happened. One of the engineers has been arrested already. From there, we’ll get to the developer, and the developer will also be arrested.”
He said the FCT Administration was taking over the matter, while the Department of Development Control would carry out preliminary investigations pending the outcome of the panel’s findings.
Wike warned developers against obstructing officials of the Federal Capital Development Administration (FCDA) from carrying out routine supervision of construction projects.
According to him, some developers often resort to blackmail whenever government agencies attempt to enforce compliance with building regulations.
“Sometimes when we come to a site like this, the press has not been kind to us. Instead of finding out why government is taking that decision, some people will go to blackmail government officials,” he stated.
The minister stressed that strict compliance with building standards, including soil tests and the use of quality materials, remained critical to preventing future disasters.
“In construction of buildings, we must know the quality. What materials are they using? Are they doing the soil test? What is the result of the soil test? Can it allow for two floors or three floors? All these are very key,” he said.
He maintained that government’s primary responsibility was the protection of lives and property, lamenting that the lives lost in the collapse could never be replaced.
“How can you buy back these lives? They are gone. That is the responsibility of government: to protect life and property,” Wike added.
BREAKING: Senator Narrowly Escapes Death As Gunshots Rock APC Primaries
Just in: Ex-Reps member, Ogbeide-Ihama defeats serving Senator Imasuen, Pastor Ize- Iyamu Edo APC Senate primaries
Building Collapse: Wike Orders Investigation, Seals Off Premises(Photos)
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