Jenan Taylor
13 November 2024
The Australian Church has been warned to prioritise support for abuse victims after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned in the wake of a report detailing the Church of England’s mishandling of sex abuse allegations.
Anglican leaders urged the Church to act strongly in support of victims and survivors of sex abuse, and the safety of children and vulnerable people.
Archbishop Justin Welby announced his decision to step down on Tuesday, after the release of a review into the alleged abuse of children by prominent Church of England associate John Smyth QC.
The Makin review exposed coverups of more than 40 years within the Church of England about the abuses, which were disclosed to the archbishop in 2013.
Key findings included that the victims were subjected to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks and their lives were permanently marked by it.
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Archbishop Welby stated he’d believed wrongly an appropriate resolution would follow when he was informed, and it was clear he needed to take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.
Senior Melbourne cleric and academic Professor Dorothy Lee said the archbishop had done the right thing to resign but it was the victims who needed to be front and centre.
“It’s not a story about how things are going personally for the archbishop, although there are those who will be concerned about that, but it’s a story about victims being failed – again,” Professor Lee said.
She said it was shameful it had taken so long for the Church of England to act and believed there had been a dereliction of duty.
“This is not something you can delay and say, ‘Oh, well, you know, this can wait for another year.’ It can’t. This is people’s lives,” Professor Lee said.
She said the revelations should make the Australian Church aware that the issue of child sexual abuse was still alive.
She said it needed to ensure its safeguarding processes were appropriate and that its people were aware of just how serious the issue was and how much abuse damaged people.
“There are going to be victims still from the past who are deeply wounded by what’s happened and as a church, our leaders in particular need to be aware and ready to take very strong action in support of them,” Professor Lee said.
She said a finding by the review that John Smyth was moved on to Africa where he then allegedly went on to abuse more children was sickening, and had done the world-wide Church great discredit.
“More importantly than how it’s affected our image, are the lives of the victims. That’s the issue. And the fact that they have looked to us for justice, and haven’t got it,” Professor Lee said.
“We claim to be representing God, and we have not. We’ve actually denied God and denied justice.”
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Leading Church of England figure Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley was among the many people who called for Archbishop Welby’s resignation.
She said she perceived a systemic dysfunction of how Church hierarchy dealt with safeguarding matters and particularly the impact of church-related abuse on victims and survivors.
Australian Primate Geoffrey Smith said the Church of England’s handling of the matter was a reminder of the ongoing need to make the safety of children and vulnerable people an absolute priority.
Archbishop Smith said Justin Welby was a good man with a focus on protecting vulnerable people, and had clearly acknowledged his failures and taken responsibility as leader of the Church of England.
He said the Australian Church would continue to pray for the victims of abuse wherever it occurred, and for Archbishop Welby and his family.
If you or someone you know needs support, please contact a support services such as:
- Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
- The National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service 1800 RESPECT
- Centres Against Sexual Assault 1800 806 292
- Blue Knot 1300 657 380
If life is in danger, contact Triple Zero (000).
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