The Archbishop of Canterbury is facing mounting pressure to resign after a damning report into abuse by a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England.
Anglican priest Giles Fraser told the BBC the Most Rev Justin Welby had “lost the confidence of his clergy” and his position was untenable.
Three members of the Church’s parliament – the General Synod – have started a petition calling for Mr Welby to resign over his “failures” to report John Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse of boys and young men at Christian summer camps.
A review of the Church’s handling of Smyth’s case said Mr Welby “could and should” have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.
Mr Welby acknowledged he should have more rigorously followed up the details and said last week he had considered resigning, but decided to stay in his role.
The Makin review into Smyth’s case said he might have been brought to justice for decades of abuse before his death in 2018 had he been formally reported to authorities a decade ago.
Smyth is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England, having subjected as many as 130 victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks.
One of his victims, Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, previously described the “excruciating and shocking” abuse he experienced.
Smyth died aged 75 while under investigation by Hampshire Police.
The review also noted that some Church leaders had been made aware of the abuse in 1982.
In a statement, Mr Welby said he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and “sorry that concealment by many people who were fully aware of the abuse over many years meant that John Smyth was able to abuse overseas and died before he ever faced justice”.
He added: “I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2013.”
The petition calling for Mr Welby’s resignation was created on Saturday by three of the General Synod’s almost 500 members, and is open to anyone to sign online. By Monday morning it had gathered over 1,500 signatures.
“Given his role in allowing abuse to continue, we believe that his continuing as the Archbishop of Canterbury is no longer tenable,” the petition reads.
“We must see change, for the sake of survivors, for the protection of the vulnerable, and for the good of the Church.”
Mr Fraser, vicar of St Anne’s Church at Kew, west London, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Mr Welby “really [had] to go”.
Recalling his own experience of abuse at school, Mr Fraser said such an experience was “very traumatic and stays with you”.
“This happened to me when I was seven, eight – I’m 60 in a few weeks’ time,” he said.
“The idea that people continued to be abused after the Church knew what was happening is disgraceful.”
At the weekend, the Church’s lead safeguarding bishop said she welcomed Mr Welby’s apology – and would not say whether he should resign.
“I really appreciate that the Archbishop has wholeheartedly apologised for what he could have and should have done differently in 2013,” the Rt Rev Joanne Grenfell, the Bishop of Stepney, told the BBC.
“I also recognise his commitment over the time of his tenure as Archbishop to really having tried to change safeguarding.”
Mr Welby said he hoped the Makin review would support the ongoing work of building a safer church here and around the world, and reiterated his “horror at the scale of John Smyth’s egregious abuse, as reflected in his public apology”.
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