Local priests weigh in on Welby’s resignation, impact on Anglican Church

Two local priests have expressed support for the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, over his handling of a sex-abuse scandal some 11 years. Both priests made it clear that the Church cannot condone any form of sexual abuse, but they offered differing views on how the resignation might affect the local church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury resigned on Tuesday after an investigation found that he failed to tell the police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.

Stating that he has “great respect” for Welby, Suffragan Bishop of Kingston Garth Minott nonetheless told The Gleaner that the resignation would affect the Anglican Church’s reputation.

“In that respect, sexual abuse in the Church is not new. It has gone on for some time and to the extent that predators are in the Church,” he said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, which has more than 85 million members in 165 countries. While each national church has its own leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury is considered first among equals.

Minott stressed that under Welby’s leadership, the emphasis on a safe church in the Anglican Communion became more robust.

“We know that predators are, in fact, in the Church, so to the extent that the Church has to be a place where people can come and find solace, peace, a sense of welcome, then we have to do everything in our power to ensure that the Church is a safe space,” he said.

“The only way we can say that is if we demonstrate that all our systems and processes are open, transparent, and where perpetrators of abuse are identified, whether it is by the victims or by others, they must be called out, and there must be clear systems and processes in place that will be able to bring those persons to justice,” he added.

To this degree, Minott is echoing calls for other church leaders who were made aware of the abuse meted out by the late John Smyth to follow Welby’s example. An independent report found that Smyth – who was a prominent attorney – sexually, psychologically, and physically abused about 30 boys and young men in the United Kingdom and 85 in Africa from the 1970s until his death in 2018.

The report said Welby failed to report Smyth to authorities when he was informed of the abuse in August 2013. Had he done so, Smyth could have been stopped sooner, and many victims could have been spared the abuse, the inquiry found.

Welby said he didn’t inform law-enforcement agencies about the abuse because he was wrongly told that the police were already investigating. But he took responsibility for not ensuring that the allegations were pursued as “energetically” as they should have been.

Minott stressed that other church leaders who were aware of the abuse but did not take appropriate action should also be held accountable.

“If resignation is it, then [so be it],” he said.

Father Sean Major-Campbell, an Anglican priest and human-rights activist, praised Welby for his efforts in advancing human rights, including supporting reparatory justice for the descendants of enslaved people. While Campbell acknowledged the disappointment many feel over Welby’s resignation, he also saw it as a commendable step.

“Those who lead must of necessity be duty-bearers in sounding the alarm for human-rights violations. Patriarchal edifices have, for too long, protected men from accountability in the arena of sexual abuse and other injustices,” he told The Gleaner.

Campbell further stated that Welby’s resignation should not tarnish the reputation of the Anglican Church, which has made significant strides in improving sensitisation and accountability.

Of note, he added, is the fact that the Anglican Church Diocese of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands has a policy for clergy and church workers concerning sex abuse in its various manifestations.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com