Abuse survivors call for further Church of England resignations

Survivors are calling for further resignations aft the Archbishop of Canterbury announced helium volition measurement down from his relation pursuing a damning study into a prolific kid abuser associated with the church.

Justin Welby is quitting aft a reappraisal recovered helium "could and should" person reported John Smyth's maltreatment of boys and young men to constabulary successful 2013.

There are present expanding calls for much elder members of the Church to look questions astir what they knew astir abuse.

One subsister said bishops "who kept the stories to themselves" should present beryllium the absorption of questioning.

An independent review published past week recovered Mr Welby - the astir elder bishop wrong the Church of England - and different religion officers should person formally reported Smyth successful 2013 to constabulary successful the UK and authorities successful South Africa.

Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those helium met astatine Christian camps, successful the UK successful the 1970s and 1980s.

The study recovered inaction from the Church was a "missed opportunity" to bring Smyth to justness earlier his 2018 death.

On Tuesday, Mr Welby said that "it is precise wide that I indispensable instrumentality idiosyncratic and organization responsibility" for his effect aft helium was archetypal told astir the abuse.

Now determination are calls for different elder members of the Church to look questions.

One survivor, Mark Stibbe, a erstwhile vicar and author, told Channel 4 News helium thought Mr Welby had "done the close thing" and that helium and chap survivors had been calling for his resignation for years.

"I applaud Justin Welby for resigning but what I deliberation the subsister radical would similar is much resignations due to the fact that that means much accountability, radical taking work for having been soundless erstwhile they should person spoken," helium said.

"If determination are elder clergy who person breached the instrumentality past they request to beryllium called to account," helium added.

Another survivor, Richard Gittins, said bishops "who kept the stories to themselves" should present beryllium the absorption of questioning.

Mr Gittins told Sky News that "other radical tin reply the questions that request to beryllium enactment to them, peculiarly bishops".

The Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mountstephen, told BBC's Newsnight failures successful safeguarding should beryllium investigated and "appropriate and proportionate enactment should beryllium taken with anyone who has failed successful safeguarding terms".