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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Ben Quinn and Harriet Sherwood

Justin Welby says he forgives serial abuser John Smyth

Justin Welby on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg
Justin Welby said he was too ‘overwhelmed’ by the scale of abuse in the Church of England to take effective action. Photograph: Jeff Overs/PA

The former archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said he forgives a serial abuser at the centre of the scandal that led to his resignation as leader of the Church of England and spoke of feeling “profoundly ashamed” of comments he made afterwards.

In his first interview since resigning in November, he also said he had “not really thought it through enough, to be honest” when he initially declined to quit last year.

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