Canterbury Archbishop According to his official statement, Justin Welby, the Church of England’s highest ranking official, resigned because of his handling of a child abuse case.
Welby stated in a statement on Tuesday, “I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury, having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty the King.”
Following an independent investigation into the “sickening abuse” of John Smyth, a British lawyer who passed away and is regarded as the worst serial abuser associated with the Church of England, pressure had been building on Welby in recent days.
After tracking a “worrying pattern of deference” to Smyth, the damaging report—which was commissioned by the church and made public on November 7—came to the conclusion that “a serious crime was covered up.”
