Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned following mounting criticism of his handling of the John Smyth abuse scandal, with calls for other senior clergy implicated in the case to follow suit. An independent review, led by safeguarding expert Keith Makin, condemned the Church of England for its failure to report the “abhorrent abuse” Smyth Read more
Archbishop Justin Welby has stated that most Anglican bishops recognise the Pope’s primacy, though with a different interpretation from that before the Reformation. Speaking to French newspaper La Vie, Welby shared that, during a 2023 visit to South Sudan with the pope and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Francis was acknowledged as “first Read more
The Church of England and Archbishop Justin Welby face intense scrutiny following revelations that it concealed the extensive abuse committed over several decades by barrister John Smyth. Smyth’s abuse, described as “brutal and prolific”, targeted more than 100 boys and young men at Christian holiday camps in the late 1970s and early 1980s. An independent Read more
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has been criticised by a leading lawyer for his handling of the case involving Reverend Dr Bernard Randall, a chaplain who was blacklisted after expressing gender-critical views in a sermon. Dr Randall (pictured), who preached at Trent College in Nottingham, has been barred from preaching for five years. This Read more
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has disclosed that hospital staff pressured his wife Caroline to consider aborting their disabled daughter during pregnancy. Speaking at the General Synod in York, Welby explained that his daughter Ellie had dyspraxia; a condition affecting movement and coordination. Hospital staff suggested abortion if a disability test returned positive results, Read more
In a historic meeting at the Vatican, Pope Francis engaged with senior Anglican bishops, emphasising the importance of unity and dialogue within Christian communities. The meeting, which marked the Anglican primates’ first pilgrimage to Rome, focused on shared missions and discussions on differences within the church. Pope Francis began his address by thanking Archbishop Justin Read more
Leaders of the conservative wing of the Anglican Church have declared that they no longer recognise England’s Archbishop of Canterbury as first among equals. They are calling for a complete overhaul of how the global denomination is led. The primary cause of the rift among Anglican leaders is their differing opinions on homosexuality and same-sex Read more
Rumours swirling about the Anglican Communion in England’s recent ‘yes’ vote for same-sex blessings have been cleared up by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Decisions made by the Anglican Communion in England apply only to England. They don’t have an international reach, Justin Welby says. He reminded people of the autonomy of Anglican Provinces, as rumours Read more
The Church of England has approved gay-couple blessings for the first time. The approval came after bishops rejected calls to allow same-sex marriages in churches at a meeting in January. Instead, they proposed numerous options and suggested offering blessings after a civil partnership or marriage, known as Prayers of Love and Faith. The Anglican General Read more