Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to officially step down over abuse scandal

LONDON

Justin Welby will formally step down as Archbishop of Canterbury at the close of Monday, marking the end of his decade-long tenure as the Church of England's spiritual leader.

His departure follows his resignation in November over the Church’s mishandling of abuse allegations involving John Smyth, a sadistic abuser whose actions spanned decades.

On Monday, the feast of Epiphany, Welby is expected to spend his final day in office privately at Lambeth Palace, attending two services—a lunchtime Eucharist and Evensong later in the afternoon.

In the interim, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will assume leadership of the Church until a permanent successor is appointed, a process expected to take several months.

However, Cottrell himself faces scrutiny over his handling of safeguarding issues, a key topic currently under debate within the Church.

Welby’s resignation was prompted by a damning report on the Church’s handling of abuse allegations against John Smyth.

The report detailed Smyth’s brutal sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of more than 120 boys and young men since the late 1970s.

It concluded that Welby bore "personal and moral responsibility" for the Church's failures and stated that he "could and should have done more" to address the situation.

After initially resisting calls to step down, Welby announced his resignation on Nov. 12, expressing his sorrow for all victims and survivors of abuse. "I resign in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse," he said in a public statement at the time.