Not reporting known child abuse or taking it seriously enough to do something about it is a society-wide problem. The fact that few people seem to realize that is why we can be confident that none of the Church's policies are going to be sufficient - we draw our laity, priests and bishops from society and they have the same problems that people in society have. That and the current behavior of Curial officials...
Okay, according to secular reporting, the idea is that somebody should have reported Smyth to the police in Africa. And since Welby apparently first learned something about of Smyth’s abuse in 2013, Welby is responsible for not reporting Smyth to the police in Africa. He is therefore guilty of perpetuating an abuse coverup, or so the thinking goes.
Correction: apparently Welby was misinformed that police had already been made aware of Smyth's abuse. Hence, the argument is that Welby failed to follow up on the case.
If he does bow out, my money is that the next Archbishop of Canterbury will be one of England's female bishops.
What we need is for Good King Charles to abrogate the Act of Settlement and the Bill of Rights' clause on protestantism (both on the grounds of Inclusivity and Equity, of course), invoke his authority and disband the Church of England (which Charles already has long loathed), and then convert to Catholicism. Bada bing, bada boom.
I'm sure Ed will fully endorse my well-reasoned and highly-likely course of action.
Substituting slightly-warmed cat food in for tepid dog food to feed the British people. It's a bold move, but the Holy Father just...might...pull it off.
There are two massive pressures for Welby to resign:
1. Denial of Biblical teaching on sexual morality. There has been a huge controversy within the Anglicans about the document Living in Love and Faith (or Living in Lust and Fornication, as the wags had it). A recent climax of the crisis was Welby's appearance in the podcast The Rest is Politics where he could not give a straight answer to the question "Is gay sex sinful?" In fact he "explained" that gay sex was OK within a committed relationship. A good substantial summary is the Reverend Dan episode on which he asks if Welby should resign. Just about every enraged commenter below the line says Yes. If you do not have a life, I can recommend Rev Dan's many videos on LLF and other Anglican matters.
2. Failure to handle the appalling abuse case of John Smyth, an unbelievable multiple child beater. Welby did not refer it to the police in 2013 and Smyth died in 2018. Church Times and Reverend Dan again.
An earlier Archbishop of Canterbury confessed what a difficult job he had and how the position crushes one to the ground. That was decades before gay marriage.....
Add in the studied lack of response to essentially the entire Global South (of Anglicanism) declaring the CofE had departed from the Anglican Communion post-[blessing same-sex unions], and the vaguely defiant speech Welby gave over "not clinging to the instruments of communion", and one can easily see how the Abp. of Canterbury might want to be out of the limelight for a while.
We should pray for our separated brothers and sisters and for their country. Maybe she was privy and maybe she was not, but all the same I miss the stability of the late Queen.
Is Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra rubbing off on the Church of England? 🤔
Not reporting known child abuse or taking it seriously enough to do something about it is a society-wide problem. The fact that few people seem to realize that is why we can be confident that none of the Church's policies are going to be sufficient - we draw our laity, priests and bishops from society and they have the same problems that people in society have. That and the current behavior of Curial officials...
Justin Welby, a former oil industry executive, - can he be replaced by Rex Tillerson?
Rex Mottram would be more what the C of E would prefer.
Excellent reference
After rereading several times this explainer on why Welby is under pressure to resign…
…it is still unclear why Welby is under pressure to resign.
Okay, according to secular reporting, the idea is that somebody should have reported Smyth to the police in Africa. And since Welby apparently first learned something about of Smyth’s abuse in 2013, Welby is responsible for not reporting Smyth to the police in Africa. He is therefore guilty of perpetuating an abuse coverup, or so the thinking goes.
Welby knew this man Smythe for 40 years, it goes back way further than 2013.
Correction: apparently Welby was misinformed that police had already been made aware of Smyth's abuse. Hence, the argument is that Welby failed to follow up on the case.
If he does bow out, my money is that the next Archbishop of Canterbury will be one of England's female bishops.
What we need is for Good King Charles to abrogate the Act of Settlement and the Bill of Rights' clause on protestantism (both on the grounds of Inclusivity and Equity, of course), invoke his authority and disband the Church of England (which Charles already has long loathed), and then convert to Catholicism. Bada bing, bada boom.
I'm sure Ed will fully endorse my well-reasoned and highly-likely course of action.
Francis is one step ahead of you - that’s why he elevated English Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe, theologian, 79.
Substituting slightly-warmed cat food in for tepid dog food to feed the British people. It's a bold move, but the Holy Father just...might...pull it off.
There are two massive pressures for Welby to resign:
1. Denial of Biblical teaching on sexual morality. There has been a huge controversy within the Anglicans about the document Living in Love and Faith (or Living in Lust and Fornication, as the wags had it). A recent climax of the crisis was Welby's appearance in the podcast The Rest is Politics where he could not give a straight answer to the question "Is gay sex sinful?" In fact he "explained" that gay sex was OK within a committed relationship. A good substantial summary is the Reverend Dan episode on which he asks if Welby should resign. Just about every enraged commenter below the line says Yes. If you do not have a life, I can recommend Rev Dan's many videos on LLF and other Anglican matters.
https://youtu.be/owiEFofrHIg?si=qivGuALb7NSvbL7-
2. Failure to handle the appalling abuse case of John Smyth, an unbelievable multiple child beater. Welby did not refer it to the police in 2013 and Smyth died in 2018. Church Times and Reverend Dan again.
https://youtu.be/C0lntPO6PZk?si=2XjkiTpwctiOiaUj
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/8-november/news/uk/prolific-brutal-and-horrific-makin-report-calls-out-the-smyth-abuse-and-the-cover-up
An earlier Archbishop of Canterbury confessed what a difficult job he had and how the position crushes one to the ground. That was decades before gay marriage.....
Add in the studied lack of response to essentially the entire Global South (of Anglicanism) declaring the CofE had departed from the Anglican Communion post-[blessing same-sex unions], and the vaguely defiant speech Welby gave over "not clinging to the instruments of communion", and one can easily see how the Abp. of Canterbury might want to be out of the limelight for a while.
Welby has just resigned.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj505ygdp17t
We should pray for our separated brothers and sisters and for their country. Maybe she was privy and maybe she was not, but all the same I miss the stability of the late Queen.