Justin Welby says he forgives the Church of England's most prolific child abuser John Smyth and admits 'I got it wrong'
Justin Welby has said he forgives the Church of England's most prolific child abuser in his first interview since he was forced to resign in 'shame'.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury now hopes to disappear into 'total obscurity' adding he had 'let God down'.
Dr Welby was forced to quit last year after a damning review found he 'could and should' have done more to ensure that serial child abuser John Smyth was brought to justice.
The Makin Review found Smyth's 'abhorrent' abuse of more than 100 boys and young men was covered up within the Church and that Dr Welby failed to properly report concerns to police.
Yesterday he apologised to Smyth's victims for his 'personal failure' in the handling of the abuse allegations.
Asked whether he would forgive Smyth, who died in 2018, Dr Welby replied: 'Yes, I think if he was alive and I saw him but it's not me he has abused.
'He's abused the victims and survivors. So, whether I forgive or not is, to a large extent, irrelevant.'
He added he was 'profoundly ashamed' of his resignation speech that was labelled 'crass and insensitive' by survivors.
Justin Welby (pictured during his BBC interview) has said he forgives the Church of England's most prolific child abuser in his first interview since he was forced to resign in 'shame'
John Smyth (pictured in 2017) was found to have abused more than 100 children and young men over almost five decades. He died in 2018, having evaded justice
Welby was sworn in as Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England's most senior cleric, in 2013 (pictured)
Dr Welby told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'I am utterly sorry and feel a deep sense of personal failure, both for the victims of Smyth not being picked up sufficiently after 2017 when we knew the extent of it, and for my own personal failures.'
But his comments have drawn criticism. One of Smyth's victims, known as Graham, said he would not forgive Dr Welby as long as he 'continues to blank us and refuses to tell us the truth'.
'If in 2017 he had contacted us, said 'I will come and apologise to you personally, I am sorry, I messed up', I would have forgiven him immediately. But he never has in those terms,' he told the broadcaster.
And Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who led an independent board probing Church abuse until 2023, described Dr Welby's comments as 'absolute rubbish'.
Also in the interview, Dr Welby said he now wants 'total obscurity' but may ask for permission to preach again in the future.
He added he is 'entirely in favour' of fully independent safeguarding in the CofE, and that he sees no reason why his replacement could not be a female bishop.
The process to appoint the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury has begun and a successor will be announced in the autumn.
