Quotes
It’s hard, but I can’t begin to imagine what it feels like to be a victim or survivor of abuse,
she added
It’s about culture. It’s about leadership, it’s about theology. So, yes, abuse matters. But the whole context is what needs to change.”
She saidIt now shows that he’s taken some action. And I think it also means that the focus can be turned on other people who knew and haven’t done anything about it,
he saidI was unable to get away from a sense of God calling.
As for his own vocation, his explanation for the fundamental switch in his life is simply to say
The effect on innocent young employees like Justin Welby when the truth emerged must have been enormous
A lawyer involved in the scandal said.jpg)
If the farmers want to go on the streets, we can do to them what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners … It’s an industry we can do without.
With thousands preparing to descend on London in protest at the imposition of inheritance tax on agricultural properties, Mr McTernan saidI 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
He addedI understand that there were further actions I could have taken following my reporting of the disclosures made to us in the Diocese of Ely about John Smyth.
Bishop Conway apologised following the review, sayingWe asked for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who we knew knew about the abuses in 2013, and the Bishop of Ely and other senior figures in the CofE to do the right thing, and Justin Welby has done the right thing.
Mark Stibbe, an ex-vicar and author, saidA lot of us can see that if Welby ends up becoming the sacrificial lamb then it's not healthy for the Church, it's not healthy for him and it's not healthy for survivors
He added
The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,
Welby said
He was the person in a position to stop John Smyth, bring him to justice and he fundamentally failed.
The man, who was not named, told the BBC of Bishop ConwayAs lead Bishop for safeguarding for the Church of England, I have been acutely aware of the impact of the Makin report and the retraumatizing effects of its publication on victims and survivors of John Smyth's awful abuse
The Bishop of Stepney Joanne Grenfell said
It is unsurprising that Welby has resigned because of the immense pressure on him to do so given his involvement in the Smyth case
Alan Collins, a partner at law firm Hugh James, which represents a number of Smyth's victims, saidWe expect more resignations to follow
The House of Survivors, which was set up by two survivors of Church of England abuse to help others, saidAs I read the Makin Review last week and reflected on the terrible abuse perpetrated by John Smyth and shamefully covered up by others, I am, first of all, moved by the accounts of victims and survivors that we have heard from so powerfully
In a statement, he saidI think it feels like he prioritised his position and the reputation of his church above the plight of the victims and, because Smyth was still alive at that time, above other potential victims as well.
Speaking out shortly before Welby stood down, he saidYes, I do think he should resign
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Morse addedIt is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,
Welby said in the statement announcing his resignation
I believe that now is an opportunity for him to resign,
Morse told the BBC before Welby stepped down