To think Justin Welby shouldn't have to resign?

[Gatecrashermum]

It sounds like he was told the police had been informed. I'm not sure he's personally responsible for this.

YABU he is right to resign
YANBU he didn't need to resign

A further thought, looking at some of the enablement on these threads, is just what a grip churches appear to have on the minds of some of their adherents - and that's a matter for them since each of us have to live with our own conscience

All I'd ask is that these people - in fact ALL religious influence - be kept well away from public life and left in the purely private domain where IMO it belongs

Good riddance. The whole institution should be dismantled. How about we teach our children about science and critical thinking rather than perpetuating this religious bullshit run by a bunch of arse-covering nonces.

Perhaps both of them can't afford for more questions to be asked. Charles always chose the side of the pedophile, Saville and Reverend Ball, that we know about. Neither him or the Queen questioned Andrew enough when they knew Epstein was a pedophile and sex trafficker and using royal transport and residences.

run by a bunch of arse-covering nonces.

Tbf welby is probably more of a nonce-covering arse.

At best it's a boys' club and they are all covering each others arses.
At worst it's some sort of abuse ring.
On a side note I wonder how many of these abusers use the 'sin' of being gay as a tool to aid abuse. If we give it to God it will be fine.
Wonder what Charles had on Welby to make him suddenly change his mind.

@Gatecrashermum I'm presuming you've never been a victim of CSA. He should be stripped of all his titles. He was in a position of responsibility and didn't do his job thoroughly enough.

It does makenyou wonder doesn't it? Charles knows enough about PR to know if Welbs didn't go the press would keep digging and the story wouldn't be put to bed by the public. Now we can all move on (again) and they can't tell us they've changed (again) and it could never happen now because of safeguarding.

ErrolTheDragon · Today 07:55

Tbf welby is probably more of a nonce-covering arse.

Sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but that made me ...

I don't think investigative/campaigning journalists will stop digging - I certainly hope not.

I don’t think so either. Whether the attempts to cover up continue depends on who the next Archbishop is. I suppose it’s too much to hope for that it will be a woman.

That's what I've said about the last two US female presidential candidates. I suspect the same outcome will apply here.

Wonder what Charles had on Welby to make him suddenly change his mind

Given that Charles has to approve the appointments we could equally wonder if Welby may or may not have had anything on him to keep himself in the AoC job so long

We all make mistakes, but as so many have noted before his affinity with paedophile friends may be considered a feature rather than a bug

Also not sure why the possible appointment of a female AoC is being thought automatically helpful. It's hardly unknown for women to cover up this kind of horror, and in this position there'd be massive incentives to do exactly that

it is astounding how the likes of Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart, Brendan Cox, David Aaranovitch... are all saying what a top bloke Welby is. How great he is.

it is utterly sickening.

Maybe if we had a few more women in positions of authority we might not have to listen to all this coming from the penis havers? Maybe there may be a culture change? It's got to be worth a try, surely?

Welby knew in the early 1980s, and probably in the late 1970s, that Smyth was an abuser. He continued to send him Christmas cards and donate to Smyth's charity in southern Africa where he moved to continue abusing boys.

Then when Welby was formally informed about Smyth in 2013 he failed to follow up the police referral or meet the victims.

He was right to resign.

He was first warned in 1981! Wilfully blind is the kindest interpretation. Smyth sounds as though he was enormously charismatic, charming, clever, manipulative and cunning but even so, to have been bewitched by a viscous, sadistic paedophile is grotesque. It is the least he can do. Given his belief in the healing power of financial reparations, perhaps we can expect him to dig into his own savings to compensate Smyth’s victims.

No, he should not have resigned.

Most organised religions are a boys' club.

Happy to employ numerous male perverts but apparently a female priest offends God and apparently women are the real problem.

Do you want to have another think about that?

why not?

JRSKSSBH · Today 10:59

He was first warned in 1981! Wilfully blind is the kindest interpretation.

I have often wondered if these men shrug it off, because it was rife in their public schools. Charles is noted for having had a terrible time at Gordonstoun. Perhaps they actually think it's part and parcel of growing up? Whatever the case, it makes them entirely unfit for their positions, especially in the case of the C of E, which has long had safeguarding policies, so ignorance cannot feasibly be claimed.

Coughing up some of his own funds to compensate victims should be the least he could do as you say he strongly believes in financial reparations. I hope they dig deeper and see if others also knew and did nothing.

How can you think that? The church has a moral duty that has nothing to do with the police.

NRTFT. but in my lay opinion (as I am not a lawyer or policewoman), he was either an accessory after the fact, or perverted the course of justice.

Institutions usually end up concluding that they do enough good (either providing employment, charity, or whatever), that the institution is worth protecting.

But it's because they have the "good" reputation that they provide a shield to abusers anyway. And people who "make problems go away" progress ahead of people who make a fuss.

Institutions usually end up concluding that they do enough good (either providing employment, charity, or whatever), that the institution is worth protecting.

This is what happened with Savile. The hospitals knew he was abusing children but he raised a lot of money.

So a "Church" built on the trouser-snake desires of a psychopath turns out to be less that Christian ?

I am shocked I tell you. Shocked.

And stunned.