Justin Welby ends last day as Archbishop of Canterbury

Justin Welby has symbolically laid down his ceremonial employees, placing an finish to over a decade in publish as Archbishop of Canterbury.

After spending little time in public since his resignation, Mr Welby spent his last day main the Church of England privately at his London base of Lambeth Palace.

His duties will primarily go to the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, till a everlasting successor is appointed, a course of that’s anticipated to take a number of months.

It comes as many necessary modifications are being debated by the Church, together with on safeguarding – the difficulty linked to Mr Welby’s resignation and one which has led to questions on Mr Cottrell.

On Monday, the feast of Epiphany within the Christian calendar, Mr Welby attended two companies at Lambeth Palace, a Eucharist at lunchtime and Evensong later within the day.

After Evensong, he laid down his bishop’s crozier – a ceremonial employees – in a symbolic act marking the top of his ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury, and can formally finish his time as archbishop at midnight.

Within the night he attended Compline, a service of contemplative prayer, Lambeth Palace mentioned.

He had met buddies, employees and former colleagues all through the day, expressing his gratitude for his or her dedication, assist, and partnership, the palace added.

Mr Welby resigned over the Church’s dealing with of the sadistic abuser, John Smyth, who a not too long ago revealed report mentioned perpetrated brutal sexual, bodily and psychological abuse towards greater than 120 boys and younger males for the reason that late Seventies.

The report mentioned Mr Welby had “private and ethical accountability” and that he “may and may have executed extra” within the case.

After initially resisting calls to step down, he resigned on 12 November saying he did so “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse”.

However in early December, abuse victims reacted with “disgust” at a brief farewell speech Mr Welby gave on the Home of Lords, during which he made jokes. Mr Welby apologised the next day.

Mr Welby didn’t give a Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral and didn’t broadcast a New 12 months’s Day message, as he often would via the BBC.

Lambeth Palace mentioned he wouldn’t be giving any interviews earlier than leaving his function, which he’s doing on Monday on his 69th birthday. He steps down precisely a yr sooner than anticipated.

From midnight on Monday, a few of his duties in London will probably be carried out by the Bishop of London Sarah Mullally and people in his Canterbury diocese by the Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin.

The majority of his obligations will probably be carried out by Mr Cottrell, who has himself confronted calls to step down over his dealing with of an abuse case.

Final month, a BBC investigation revealed that in 2010, days after he grew to become Bishop of Chelmsford, Mr Cottrell was advised about a number of historic intercourse abuse allegations towards a priest in his cost, David Tudor.

He was additionally advised that the Church and native council had banned Tudor from being left alone with youngsters.

Mr Cottrell mentioned in an announcement: “The state of affairs with David Tudor was an terrible state of affairs to reside with and to handle.”

“I would like victims and survivors to know that all the things was executed to grasp, assess and handle the chance,” it continued.

However underneath Mr Cottrell, Tudor twice had his contract within the senior publish of space dean renewed and in 2015 was made honorary canon of Chelmsford Cathedral.

Tudor was solely suspended in 2019 when a brand new police investigation was launched. Archbishop Cottrell says he acted as quickly as he was legally capable of.

Though he takes on the duties of Mr Welby, Mr Cottrell will proceed to be primarily based at Bishopthorpe Palace in North Yorkshire.

He’s anticipated to be de facto chief of the Church of England till not less than the summer time.

The 17-member panel that can choose the following Archbishop of Canterbury has but to be formalised. For the primary time it would embody 5 members primarily based within the Anglican Church overseas.

This tumultuous interval for the Church management comes at a time of threats that might fracture the Church at each house and overseas.

Domestically, the difficulty of blessings for same-sex unions has led to acrimony between totally different factions throughout the Church.

Although the choice for members of clergy to hold out such blessings was handed in a vote at its nationwide meeting, many stay vehemently against such a transfer, believing it to be towards basic Church instructing.

However conversely, some have been upset that there haven’t been steps taken in the direction of full marriage equality within the Church of England, giving homosexual {couples} the identical rights within the Church as heterosexual {couples}.

Work on deciding what type a same-sex union blessing may take within the Church is at present being labored on and a few progressives are involved that the upheaval on the prime of the establishment may contribute to derailing that.

There have been related issues voiced about work on racial justice and on local weather motion, work that was being ushered via by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.