Church abuse victims ‘disgusted’ by Justin Welby’s speech

On Thursday in the Lords during a debate on homelessness, Mr Welby began on a light-hearted note by saying he pitied his diary secretary who had worked hard on arranging his diary for the year ahead, before the announcement of his resignation.

He continued that safeguarding in the Church of England was “a completely different picture to the past”.

“However, when I look back at the last 50 or 60 years, not only through the eyes of the Makin report – however one takes one’s view of personal responsibility – it is clear that I had to stand down,” he said.

Reacting to his speech, Mr Stibbe said the archbishop appeared to be backing away from what the archbishop had previously said in his resignation speech about being personally responsible for his handling of the Smyth case.

“Yes, he says he is technically and institutionally culpable. But is he now questioning his personal responsibility?,” asked Mr Stibbe.

Meanwhile Mr Jones took issue with the archbishop’s references to his diary secretary’s workload.

“He said he pitied his diary secretary without a word of pity for the victims of abuse,” said Mr Jones.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, added her voice of condemnation.

She said she was “deeply disturbed” by some of the archbishop’s language.

“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,” she said.

She added that she was “disappointed” to see other bishops in the House of Lords laughing at some of the jokes.

Bishop Hartley was the most senior member of the clergy to call for Mr Welby’s resignation after the Makin report was published. She has since told the BBC she has been “frozen out” by her Church of England colleagues.