Summer camp volunteer's decades-long sexual abuse not reported by Church of England head.

• An investigation found that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did not report serial abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps to the police, leading to his resignation.
• The Church of England faced criticism after an investigation revealed a lack of accountability, resulting in calls for Welby's resignation.
• The Church's leader, Welby, recognized the importance of accepting responsibility for the prolonged abuse that occurred between 2013 and 2024 and decided that stepping down was the best course of action for the Church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned on Tuesday following an investigation that revealed he did not inform the police about a volunteer's serial physical and sexual abuse at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.

Since Thursday, when the inquiry's findings were released, there has been growing pressure on Welby due to anger about the lack of accountability at the highest levels of the church.

""I must take responsibility for the traumatic period between 2013 and 2024, both personally and institutionally, and stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I love and have been honored to serve," Welby stated in his resignation announcement."

The bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, stated on Monday that Welby's position as Archbishop of Canterbury was "untenable" following a petition by members of the church's national assembly calling for him to resign due to a loss of confidence among his clergy.

The strongest opposition to resignation came from the victims of John Smyth, a prominent attorney who abused teenage boys and young men at Christian summer camps in Britain, Zimbabwe, and South Africa over five decades. Andrew Morse, who was repeatedly beaten by Smyth over a period of five years, said that resignation was a chance for Welby to start repairing the damage caused by the church’s handling of historical abuse cases more broadly.

"Morse stated that he saw the resignation of Welby as an opportunity for him to stand with the victims of Smyth abuse and all victims who have not been treated properly by the Church of England in their own abuse cases."

The resignation of Welby was prompted by the Church of England's history of widespread sexual abuse, as revealed in a 2022 report by the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse. The report found that the Church's deference to the authority of priests, taboos surrounding the discussion of sexuality, and a culture that supported alleged perpetrators over their victims contributed to the Church becoming "a place where abusers could hide."

Since becoming Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013, Welby's supporters claimed that he played a crucial role in transforming the church's culture.

The investigation into crimes that started before that date eventually led to his downfall.

An independent investigation into Smyth, who abused about 30 boys and young men in the UK and 85 in Africa beginning in the 1970s, was released by the church on Thursday.

The Makin Review's 251-page report found that Welby did not report Smyth to authorities after learning of the abuse in August 2013, just months after he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.

Last week, Welby admitted that he did not pursue the allegations as vigorously as he should have after learning of the abuse, but he chose not to resign.

On Monday, Welby's office released a statement emphasizing their stance and expressing his "horror at the extent of John Smyth's heinous abuse."

The Makin Review found that church officials who received the results of an internal investigation into Smyth in 1982 participated in an active cover-up to prevent the findings from being made public.

Smyth, who moved to Zimbabwe in 1984 and later relocated to South Africa, continued to abuse boys and young men in both countries until his death in August 2018.

Smyth's abuse was not made public until a 2017 investigation by Britain's Channel 4 television station, which led police in Hampshire to start an investigation. Police were planning to question Smyth at the time of his death and had been preparing to extradite him.

The dean of the chapel at King's College Cambridge, Stephen Cherry, stated that Welby was no longer able to speak for the people.

In certain situations, a prominent leader may lose the trust, confidence, and ability to effectively perform their duties, such as an archbishop representing everyone publicly.

"The victim community's pain and the history of not listening to and responding to those deeply hurt by those in power make it impossible for this person to continue representing that office."