Source: Reuters
Justin Welby resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury over abuse scandal
By Andrew Macaskill and Muvija M
November 12, 202410:27 AM ASTUpdated 23 min ago
Summary
- Welby faced calls to resign after report on decades of abuse by lawyer
- Welby expressed shame at Church of England’s historic safeguarding failures
- Tenure marked by controversies over female clergy and gay rights
- Welby’s successor will face challenges of unity and declining attendance
LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned “in sorrow” on Tuesday, saying he had failed to ensure there was a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.
Welby, the senior bishop of the Church of England and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, had faced calls to resign after a report last week found he had taken insufficient action to stop a person it described as arguably the Church’s most prolific serial abuser.
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