A children’s charity has rejected a Christmas donation from the archbishop of Canterbury, who resigned over the Church of England’s failures in dealing with a serial child abuser.
In an embarrassing snub, the Children’s Society said accepting a donation from Justin Welby would “not be consistent with the principles and values that underpin our work”.
Welby, who will formally step down from his post as the de facto leader of the C of E in early January, sent out an electronic Christmas card earlier this week, signed by him and his wife, Caroline.
The back of the card included a paragraph about the work of the Children’s Society, noting that the charity “works with children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation”.
The Children’s Society said it had “respectfully decided” not to accept a donation from Welby on Friday.
Mark Russell, its chief executive, said: “After careful consideration, we have respectfully decided not to accept the donation offered by the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury.
“The Children’s Society is deeply committed to supporting the survivors of abuse, our teams support victims of child sexual abuse, and this means that accepting this donation would not be consistent with the principles and values that underpin our work.”
A statement from the archbishop’s London headquarters said: “Lambeth Palace respects the decision made by the Children’s Society. The archbishop of Canterbury shares the principles and values of the Children’s Society and is committed to supporting the survivors of abuse and victims of child sexual abuse. He applauds the Children’s Society for their tireless work in this field.”
Welby announced last month he was resigning as archbishop “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse” after an independent report on the actions of John Smyth, a serial abuser of boys and young men, and the C of E’s failures to take effective action.
The Makin review concluded Smyth might have been brought to justice had Welby formally reported him to police in 2013 when allegations about abuse were brought before the archbishop.
The report said Smyth, a charismatic barrister, sadistically beat boys and young men in his garden shed causing lasting physical and psychological trauma. When allegations first surfaced, Smyth moved to Zimbabwe where he continued to abuse boys and young men.
He died in South Africa in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire police, and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the Makin review said.
Russell said the Children’s Society was “profoundly shocked by the findings of the Makin report”.
“Our thoughts are with all survivors of abuse. We believe that there is an urgent need for the Church of England to reset its approach to safeguarding and continue to create a safer church and safer spaces for young people, protected by real accountability and a culture of care,” he said.
Since Welby announced his resignation, Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, has also faced calls to step down over the way he handled allegations of abuse by an Essex priest. Cottrell said he acted as soon as was legally possible.
