Holy Smoke: Welby resigns - crisis at the Church of England

Best of the Spectator

The Spectator

News Commentary, News, Daily News, Society & Culture

4.4 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2024

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After mounting pressure, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned. His resignation comes days after a damning report into the child abuser John Smyth who was associated with the Church of England. Welby was apparently made aware of the allegations in 2013, yet Smyth died in 2018 before facing any justice. Since the report was published, Welby and the Church have faced questions about the failure to act and the lack of urgency. The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove joins Damian Thompson to discuss what Damian calls ‘not just a shocking moment in the history of the Church of England, but in the history of English Christianity’.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The Spectator magazine is home to wonderful writing, insightful analysis and unrivaled books and arts reviews.
0:06.4	Subscribe today for just £12 and receive a 12-week subscription in print and online,
0:11.7	along with a free £20 £10 £John Lewis or Waitrose voucher.
0:15.2	Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher.
0:34.7	Welcome to Holy Smoke, the Spectator's Religion podcast. I'm Damien Thompson.
0:42.6	An earthquake has hit English Christianity with the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
0:52.1	Justin Welby, who has decided to quit his post following a damning report into a prolific child abuser who was associated with the Church of England.
0:56.7	He was called John Smythe. He's been dead for a few years now. He was an upper-class disciplinarian
1:02.4	evangelical whose ministry centered on various summer camps and also Winchester College in this country
1:10.1	and also Africa, where he was
1:12.9	conveniently banished, involved beating and whipping boys mercilessly for their sins with very troubling
1:21.3	sexual overtones. He moved in the same circles as Justin Welby. There is absolutely no suggestion that Archbishop Walby was complicit in any of his crimes.
1:32.3	But nonetheless, when Welby took over in 2013, he was told about Smythe and did nothing.
1:40.3	And he waited several years before meeting Smythe's victims. And he now says that he is standing down in the best interests of the Church of England.
1:50.0	I'm joined now by the editor of the spectator, Michael Gove, to discuss this astonishing development.
1:56.0	Michael, the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury is not just a shocking moment in the history of the Church of England, but really in the history of English Christianity.
2:08.0	And let me start by asking you, do you think that Justin Welby has done the right thing?
2:13.3	I think he has. I think it was a very finely balanced decision for him and he clearly agonised over it.
2:20.8	But I think ultimately his position had become untenable for a variety of reasons. And I say that with
2:26.5	regret because I certainly found Justin Welby in all my dealings with him when I was in government
2:31.6	and subsequently to be a kindly,
2:35.8	holy and well-intentioned individual. However, it is the case that the revelations in the
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -132 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Spectator, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Spectator and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.