The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has apologised for delivering a gag-ridden speech in the House of Lords earlier this week.
Mr Welby said he ‘would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the hurt’ caused by his final speech in the House of Lords on Thursday, which was criticised as having made light of serious safeguarding failures in the Church of England.
His comments and the tone of his speech, which included a reference to a 14th-century beheading which prompted laughter from some peers, were criticised by a bishop as well as abuse survivors.
Mr Welby addressed the House on Thursday after announcing his resignation over failures in the handling of allegations against QC John Smyth – the most prolific serial abuser ever to be associated with the Church.
Speaking in his valedictory speech in the House, he said ‘a head’ had ‘to roll’, following the Makin Review into the abuse scandal, prompting Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, to put a hand up to her face.
Bishop of Newcastle Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, the only bishop to call publicly for Mr Welby’s resignation in the days following the Makin Review’s publication last month, said she was also ‘deeply disturbed’ by parts of the speech.
Following the backlash, Mr Welby issued a statement on Friday apologising ‘for the hurt that my speech has caused’, saying he did not intend ‘to make light of the situation’.
The outgoing Archbishop recognised his words had ’caused further distress’ for Smyth’s victims and said he continued ‘to feel a profound sense of shame’.
The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is seen delivering a gag-ridden House of Lords speech earlier this week, which he has now apologised for
Welby was accused of making ‘light of serious matters’ as other bishops laughed with him as he delivered his final speech in the House of Lords on Thursday
On Friday, he said: ‘Yesterday, I gave my farewell speech in the House of Lords, as part of a debate on housing and homelessness. I would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the hurt that my speech has caused.
‘I understand that my words – the things that I said, and those I omitted to say – have caused further distress for those who were traumatised, and continue to be harmed, by John Smyth’s heinous abuse, and by the far-reaching effects of other perpetrators of abuse.
‘It did not intend to overlook the experience of survivors or to make light of the situation – and I am very sorry for having done so.
‘It remains the case that I take both personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period after 2013, and the harm that this has caused survivors.
‘I continue to feel a profound sense of shame at the Church of England’s historic safeguarding failures.’
Mr Welby announced last month he was resigning from his leading role in the Church ‘in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse’ in the wake of the Makin Review.
The resignation announcement followed days of pressure after the independent review concluded John Smyth – thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – 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’.
Speaking in his valedictory speech in the House of Lords on Thursday, the Archbishop said ‘a head’ had ‘to roll’
Speaking in his valedictory speech in the House on Friday, Mr Welby said: ‘The reality is that there comes a time…where the shame of what has gone wrong whether one is personally responsible or not must require a head to roll.’
He added there was only ‘one head that rolls well enough’, before telling peers: ‘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.’
As other bishops behind him appeared to scoff at his comments, he continued with another tactless joke in which he explained he would be ‘causing God more hilarity than anyone else for many years.’
Mr Welby said: ‘My Lords, it is often said and it is a cliche to say it – but hey, I am the Archbishop still – that if you want to make God laugh, make plans.
‘Well, on that basis, next year I will be causing God more hilarity than anyone else for many years because the plans for next year were very detailed and extensive.
‘And if you pity anyone, pity my poor diary secretary who has seen weeks and months of work disappear in a puff of a resignation announcement.’
But not all were amused by Mr Welby’s comments and said he was making ‘light of serious matters’.
As he delivered his speech, Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, could be seen visibly holding her hand to her face
The Bishop of London Sarah Mullally was later seen with her arms crossed as Welby continued to address the House
As he delivered his speech, the Bishop of London could be seen visibly holding her hand to her face.
Bishop of Newcastle Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, the only bishop to call publicly for Mr Welby’s resignation in the days following the Makin Review’s publication last month, said she was also ‘deeply disturbed’ by parts of the speech.
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).
‘I repeat my call for transparency, accountability and independence when it comes to safeguarding in the Church.’
Earlier this month, Dr Hartley said she has been ‘frozen out’ by the Church and has been ‘isolated’ by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York since speaking out.
Mr Welby delivered his final speech in the House of Lords as Archbishop of Canterbury, ahead of quitting over failures in the handling of allegations against serial abuser John Smyth (above)
Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley – bishop of Newcastle upon Tyne
She also criticised other senior clergy for staying silent over the Church’s safeguarding failures due to ‘careerism’ and a desire to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
And she called for the CofE to be placed in ‘special measures’ over its safeguarding provision, with an independent review of failures taken out of the Church’s hands.
A victim of Smyth’s abuse had also said he was ‘appalled’ by the speech.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said of Mr Welby: ‘I have never come across anyone so tone deaf.
‘He has resigned in shame, burdened by the Makin Review with ‘moral and personal responsibility’ and all he can do is joke about rolling heads.’
Meanwhile, Conservative former minister Lord Robathan today expressed regret at the manner in which Mr Welby was ‘driven out of his post in a sort of witch hunt’, adding there was a ‘huge number of other people’ who had failed to take action on Smyth’s abuse.
Speaking in the Lords on Friday, he said: ‘I saw in fact the speech that the Archbishop (Justin Welby) made yesterday was criticised for some levity … I read the speech and I thought he spoke very well.
‘I think people must move on, he’s taken responsibility for the whole Church and I think that the Church and we should be grateful for that.’
In an unprecedented step, Welby said he had sought permission from the King to step down
Welby resigned following the Makin Review’s findings and issued this statement in doing so
Mr Welby is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be forced out of the role after failures meant an abuser was never brought to justice.
It came after a long-awaited review concluded that barrister Smyth’s ‘abhorrent’ serial abuse of more than 100 boys and young men was covered up within the Church.
The Makin review also criticised the Archbishop for showing a ‘distinct lack of curiosity’ after learning of Smyth’s abuse in 2013, which meant the abuser was never brought to justice before his death in 2018.
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.
He died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was ‘never brought to justice for the abuse’, the review said.
Mr Welby’s last day in post will be January 6 but he is not expected to take part in any public Christmas services, including not giving the traditional December 25 sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.
The process to replace him is likely to take some months, and most of his responsibilities will be delegated to the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell in the meantime.
