London, UK
Reuters
The Church of England faced pressure on Wednesday to ensure people are held to account for systematically covering up allegations of abuse, one day after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned over a church abuse scandal.
Justin Welby quit on Tuesday as spiritual leader of the global Anglican Church, saying he had failed to ensure a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby arrives at York Minster before a service to consecrate Reverend Libby Lane as the first female bishop in the Church of England, in York, northern England, on 26th January, 2015. PICTURE: Reuters/Phil Noble/File photo
Welby resigned after coming under pressure over a report that found failings in the handling of the case of John Smyth, a barrister who abused at least 115 children and young men before his death.
The report has increased pressure on others to be held accountable for safeguarding failures.
CHURCH OF ENGLAND MUST DO MORE TO COMBAT ABUSE, BISHOP SAYS AFTER ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY RESIGNS
The only Church of England bishop to publicly demand the resignation of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Wednesday that his departure wasn’t enough to solve the church’s “profound failure” in safeguarding vulnerable people or ease the trauma suffered by victims of abuse.
Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, said that it was right for Welby to resign, but his departure won’t resolve the institution’s shortcomings. Her comments echoed those of victims and at least one senior government minister.
“This resignation does not solve the church’s profound failure over safeguarding and the ongoing trauma caused to victims and survivors of church-related abuse, nor does it excuse others whose neglect of their duties is exposed by the Makin report,” Hartley said in a statement.
– DANICA KIRKA, London, UK/AP
“We…know that some people pretty systematically covered this up, and that those people do need to be brought to account,” Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the second-most senior bishop in the Church of England, told BBC Radio.
Cottrell said there were lessons to be learned from the review, but that he was not referring to bishops.
“The church is a very, very large organisation, and a very dispersed organisation. We’re a place where…thousands and thousands of people, anyone is able to be part of our church, so safeguarding such an organisation is a challenge.”
Bishop faces calls to resign
The Bishop of Lincoln, Stephen Conway, who was briefed about the abuse allegations against Smyth in 2013 – the same year as Welby – is facing calls to resign. The BBC quoted an unnamed victim of Smyth as saying that Conway did not do enough when he was informed of the abuse.
Conway apologised on Tuesday for not rigorously pursuing Lambeth Palace, Welby’s office, about the matter, saying he had done all in his authority as a bishop.
The review said Welby was ill-advised about the actions taken in Conway’s then diocese of Ely, adding that he was incorrectly informed that a referral had been made to the police.
“It was my understanding that this matter was reported to the police in Cambridgeshire (in eastern England) and duly passed on to the police in Hampshire where the abuse had occurred,” Conway said.
Asked about Welby’s omissions, Cottrell said: “There have been great steps taken in the safeguarding of the church under his watch, but on this case, perhaps he relied too much on others.”
Welby spent years trying to prevent the global Anglican communion fracturing, often struggling to please liberals or conservatives as they fought over homosexual rights and women clergy.
Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, leaves at the close of the ceremony to confirm his election as Archbishop, at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London, Britain, on 4th February, 2013. PICTURE: Reuters/Toby Melville/File photo
But Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, was as the head of Uganda’s Anglican Church had been rebuked by Welby for supporting a strict anti-homosexuality law in Uganda, said on Wednesday that Welby had split the Anglican communion worldwide.
The Church of Uganda stopped recognising Welby’s authority over his “inability to uphold the historic and Biblical teaching of the Church of England on marriage and family,” Archbishop Kaziimba said in Wednesday’s statement.
“Unfortunately, this is the same compromised leadership that has led to the fabric of the Anglican Communion being torn at its deepest level,” he said.
Kaziimba added: “It grieves us deeply that so many people suffered from the continued abuse of John Smyth over many years simply because the church’s leadership covered up the abuse, did not uphold the moral teaching of the Bible and the church, and failed to defend the vulnerable.”
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Kaziimba supported Uganda’s strict anti-homosexuality law that was passed last year and which imposes tough penalties including death for some same-sex acts.
He said homosexuality was being forced on Uganda by foreign agents who disguised themselves as human rights activists.
Around 36 per cent of Uganda’s population of around 46 million are Anglicans. Catholics form the majority religious denomination in the east African country.
The anti-homosexuality legislation has wide support in Uganda but has drawn criticism in the West and the United States has imposed sanctions including travel bans.
– With ELIAS BIRYABAREMA
