Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned following the publication of the Makin Review, which exposed the Church of England’s mishandling of historic abuse allegations involving John Smyth.

In a heartfelt statement on Tuesday, Welby acknowledged the extent of the church’s failures in responding to the abuse and expressed regret over the delayed response to survivors of Smyth’s crimes.

Welby stressed the importance of institutional responsibility and expressed sorrow for the victims and survivors of abuse, emphasising his commitment to creating a safer environment within the church.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” Welby said.

“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.

“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.

“It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.

“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.”

Welby noted his efforts to implement improvements in safeguarding over the last twelve years.

“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” he said.

“For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”

Welby expressed his commitment to his faith, stating that stepping aside was “in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve”.

“My deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person,” he added.

Welby said he would continue his work with victims of abuse, delegating his other responsibilities until a proper risk assessment process is completed.

He also requested prayers for his family, who have been a constant source of support during his ministry.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been asked to resign over his failure to rigorously follow up on reports of child abuse linked to the Church of England.

On Thursday, a report revealed that “horrific” and violent abuse of more than 100 children and young men by John Smyth QC, a British barrister, was covered up within the Church of England for decades.

The report followed an independent review by the archbishops’ council of the Church of England.

Smyth QC, who died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018, was accused of attacking boys at his home in Winchester who he had met at a Christian summer camp in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s.

He was said to have carried out lashings with a garden cane in his shed with eight boys receiving a total of 14,000 lashes, while two more received 8,000 strokes between them over three years.

Smyth QC is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.

The report said Welby did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse, adding that he “could and should” have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.

It also said he might have been brought to justice for decades of abuse before his death in 2018 had he been formally reported to authorities in 2013.

Three members of the Church’s parliament – the general synod – have started a petition calling for Welby to resign over his “failures” to report Smyth’s abuse

Helen-Ann Hartley, bishop of Newcastle, has also called for his resignation.

She is the most senior member of the Church to call on Welby to step down.

Hartley said it would be hard for the Church to “continue to have a moral voice” when “we cannot get our own house in order with regard to something as critically important”.

“It’s very hard to find the words to respond adequately to what the report tells us,” Bishop Hartley told the BBC.

“I think rightly people are asking the question ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no’.”

She said while Welby’s resignation would not “solve the safeguarding problem,” it would “be a very clear indication that a line has been drawn, and that we must move towards independence of safeguarding”.

In a statement, Welby said he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and “sorry that concealment by many people who were fully aware of the abuse over many years meant that John Smyth was able to abuse overseas and died before he ever faced justice”.

“I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2013,” he said.

Chukwuemeka Ohanaemere, the controversial Onitsha-based cleric better known as Odumeje, has alleged that TikTok suspended his account due to his purportedly “dangerous miracles”.

In an undated video, the cleric claimed that social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, reject his miracles, deeming them unbelievable.

“Even Facebook and other social media platforms are rejecting my dangerous miracles,” he said in the now-viral video.

“They are not accepting it. Because of my dangerous miracles, TikTok rejected me. They disconnected me. They said this miracle is beyond them.”

https://twitter.com/CableLifestyle/status/1854571930205946066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1854571930205946066%7Ctwgr%5E8f80a6cb43bde46b19283fbf458675b2c9394462%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Fextra-tiktok-banned-my-page-because-of-my-dangerous-miracles-says-odumeje%2F

TikTok’s community guidelines prohibit harmful, illegal, or misleading content. It however remains to be seen if sharing videos displaying “dangerous miracles” can lead to the suspension of TikTok accounts.

Odumeje has always been in the news for controversial reasons. The cleric rode to fame on the back of what many described as his “unorthodox practices”.

In March, Ohanaemere issued a stern warning to critics accusing him of using fake powers.

“Do not criticise the miracles that Jesus is using me to do because you want to get attention from people. You can never go free,” he said.

He also advised those who disagree with his teachings to stop spreading falsehoods about him.

The cleric recently revealed that he grew up in a dangerous street in Onitsha, Anambra state. He said he became involved in armed robbery and terrorism at the age of 14.

Odumeje added that his life changed through the help of his mother, who led him to Christ and helped him find salvation.