The Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of making light of serious safeguarding failures after referencing a 14th century beheading in his final House of Lords speech before he quits amid a Church of England abuse scandal.
Justin Welby indicated the fallout of the Makin Review into failures in handling allegations about John Smyth – thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – required “a head to roll”.
Mr Welby, who was making his first public comments since announcing his resignation almost a month ago, went on to reference the decapitation of a centuries-old predecessor, to which there was some laughter in the chamber.
Making his valedictory speech in the House of Lords on Thursday, Mr Welby said: “The reality is that there comes a time if you are technically leading a particular institution or area of responsibility where the shame of what has gone wrong, whether one is personally responsible or not, must require a head to roll.
“And there is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough.
“I hope not literally. One of my predecessors in 1381, Simon of Sudbury, had his head cut off and it was then the peasants – the revolting peasants at the time – who played football with it at the Tower of London.
“I don’t know who won. It certainly wasn’t Simon of Sudbury.”
When he revealed on November 12 that he was quitting, Mr Welby said he was stepping down “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse”.
It followed days of pressure after the independent Makin Review concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.
Mr Welby initially declined to resign when the report was published, saying he had “no idea or suspicion of” Smyth’s abuse before 2013 but acknowledging the review had found that after its wider exposure that year, despite being told police had been notified, he had “personally failed to ensure” it was “energetically investigated”.
In his resignation statement five days later, he said he was taking “personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024” and spoke of his “profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England”.
Across five decades in three different countries and involving as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa, Smyth is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.
Smyth died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, with the review noting how he was “never brought to justice for the abuse”.
Speaking in the Lords on Thursday, Mr Welby said safeguarding in the Church of England is “a completely different picture to the past”, but that it was “clear” he had to quit following the review.
He told peers in the Lords: “The reality is that the safeguarding and care of children and vulnerable adults in the Church of England today is – thanks to thousands and tens of thousands of people across the Church, particularly in parishes, in parish safeguarding officers – is a completely different picture to the past.
“However, when I look back at the last 50 or 60 years, not only through the eyes of the Makin Report, however one takes one’s view of personal responsibility, it is clear that I had to stand down, and it is for that reason that I do so.”
Following the speech, the Bishop of Newcastle said she was “deeply disturbed” by parts of it, and was critical of the reaction of some other bishops in the chamber.
Dr Helen-Ann Hartley was the only bishop to call publicly for Mr Welby’s resignation in the days following the Makin Review’s publication last month.
To make light of serious matters of safeguarding failures in this way yet again treats victims and survivors of church abuse without proper respect or regard
In a statement on Thursday, she said: “I am deeply disturbed by the language of ‘a head had to roll’ used by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his speech in the House of Lords this afternoon.
“It was, in my view unwise to say at the very least. To make light of serious matters of safeguarding failures in this way yet again treats victims and survivors of church abuse without proper respect or regard.
“I was disappointed too to see other Lords Spiritual laughing at the jokes that were being made.
“I have this afternoon had several messages from across my diocese expressing dismay at the Archbishop’s speech and the response of the other Lords Spiritual (with the exception of the Bishop of London’s response).”
Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally sat expressionless, with her head bowed and arms folded for much of the speech.
Lambeth Palace confirmed on Wednesday that the King had agreed Mr Welby’s last day in post will be January 6.
He will not be taking part in any public Christmas services – including not giving the traditional December 25 sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.
Lambeth Palace said he would instead be spending the festive period privately with family.
People who have held the role of Archbishop of Canterbury usually get life peerages on retirement but it is unclear what will happen in the case of Mr Welby.
