Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, resigns over sex abuse scandal
London: The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned on Tuesday after a report concluded that he had failed to pursue a proper investigation into claims of widespread abuse of boys and young men decades ago at Christian summer camps.
“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatizing period between 2013 and 2024,” the cleric said. “I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England,” he added.
As many as 130 boys and young men in Britain and Africa are believed to have been sexually abused by John Smyth, an attorney, who operated children’s camps connected to the Church of England, which Welby has led since 2013, as per the report published last week. It identified that Welby did not inform authorities when he learned of Smyth’s abuses in 2013, shortly after becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. The report suggested that if Welby had acted sooner, some abuse cases might have been prevented.
Pressure had mounted rapidly on Welby, who serves as the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, and clergy members launched a petition calling for his resignation.
Under the Church of England's rules, managing the selection of Welby's successor falls to a committee known as the Crown Nominations Commission, a group that presents candidates for the role of Archbishop. It will recommend the name of a preferred candidate to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will then advise King Charles III on the final appointment.
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Elderly man dies after part of slab falls on him in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): A 75-year-old man died after some portion of a slab in a two-storey residential structure collapsed on him in Mumbai's Bhandup area on Saturday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred at Tulshipada in Patkar Compound of Bhandup West around 9.45 am, they said.
"The victim, identified as Susai Daevdas Kaunder, was injured when some part of the slab on the upper floor of a two-storey structure fell on him," a civic official said.
He was immediately taken to nearby Navkaar Hospital, where he was declared dead, the official said.
