North East Bishop reacts to resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

High-ranking members of the North East clergy have reacted to the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the John Smyth abuse scandal.

Justin Welby had faced mounting pressure to resign over his handling of the John Smyth case, with the Bishop of Newcastle leading calls for Mr Welby to quit.

The independent Makin Review concluded that barrister John Smyth, who abused boys over years, might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013. Mr Welby had apologised but stated that he would not resign, following the review's publication last week.

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But in a statement released on Tuesday, he said: "Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury. The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth."

In a joint statement on the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right Reverend Sarah Clark, Bishop of Jarrow and Acting Bishop of Durham, and the Very Reverend Dr Philip Plyming, Dean of Durham said: "As the Acting Bishop of Durham and Dean of Durham our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been impacted by the abuse disclosed in the Makin Review.

"We lament the ways the church has not responded well both in the historic and more recent past. Safeguarding is the responsibility of us all, especially those of us in leadership positions. We understand and respect the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to resign and our prayers are with him and his family at this difficult time.

"In Durham Diocese we work to continually grow our safeguarding culture and accountability in all areas of church life as we seek to witness, however imperfectly, to Jesus Christ."

Over five decades between the 1970s until his death, John Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the United Kingdom and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives. Smyth, a lay reader who led Christian summer camps, died aged 75 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was "never brought to justice for the abuse", the review said.