Church in the crisis: Welbies resignation and the call for real responsibility

Church in the crisis: Welbies resignation and the call for real responsibility

The time of the excuses is over - the abuse of children in the church is a systemic problem!

A storm of indignation sweeps through the Anglican Church! Archbishop Justin Welby, the leader of the Church of England, announced his resignation after an independent examination brought the shocking offenses of the child molester John Smyth to light. These revelations show that Welby has failed over the years to take the necessary steps in order to be accountable to the notorious abuse. His resignation is officially effective in early January - but the question remains: is that enough?

The Makin check has revealed that Smyth, a lawyer and Christian minister, has abused up to 130 boys and young men in Christian holiday camps in Africa and England over four decades. The deeds were not only physically, but also psychologically and spiritually traumatizing. Smyth died in 2018 at the age of 75 without ever being held accountable for his hideous acts.

The shocking revelations

The victims' reports are heartbreaking. Many waited over four decades to reveal abuse for fear of being not believed or even accused. The investigation found that the church knew about the offenses in the 1980s, but did nothing to stop Smyth. Instead, he was practically allowed to continue his actions - both in England and in Africa.

Welby, who voluntarily worked in some of the holiday camps in which Smyth abused in the 1970s, claimed that he had no knowledge of the allegations. But the Makin check comes to the conclusion that this is "unlikely". He could not have known the full dimension of abuse, but he knew that it had taken place.

Archbishop Welby stated that he had found crimes from Smyth's crimes in 2013, but accepted that he had failed to report this to the police. If he had done this, Smyth would have been held accountable "with a high probability" much earlier. This would have saved the victims additional pain for at least ten years and showed that the church actually has for the victims of abuse by clerics.

The Welby's declaration of withdrawal is a step in the right direction, but it only happened under immense pressure. At first he did not want to step down until high -ranking clergy and even Prime Minister Keir Strander asked him to clear his post. It is clear that Welby is not the only one who is criticized for the inadequate response to child abuse in the church.

a system in failure

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cotrell, had to apologize recently after his dealing with a different abuse from 2019 was examined. Cotrell is accused of leaving a priest in his office, even though he knew that he was excluded from contact with children. Cotrell, who will temporarily take over Welbys posts in January, refused to comply with the claims and claimed that the situation was not his fault.

The church must finally take responsibility and must no longer protect abuse offenders. It is time to support the victims and seriously deal with the abuse cases. The independent examination of sexual abuse of children (IICSA) has already found in 2022 that abuse by clerics in the United Kingdom is endemic. Often perpetrators are simply transferred to another community to keep the church free.

Time for excuses and hesitant resignation is over. The church must now act to ensure the safety of children and to have justice to the victims. The reports of abuse are not an isolated case, but a global problem that can be found in many churches worldwide.

In Spain, over 200,000 children have been abused by the Roman Catholic Church since 1940, and in France, an investigation showed that at least 216,000 children have been victims of sexual attacks since 1950. These systematic abuse may no longer be ignored!

The voice of the survivors must be heard and the churches must finally take responsibility. It is high time that the institutions clean their ranks of abuse and exploiters and offer the victims the support they earn.