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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Electorate in 9 states, UTs shrink by 1.70 crore after SIR
New Delhi (PTI): Voter base in nine states and Union territories has shrunk by more than 1.70 crore following the publication of final electoral rolls as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to official data.
The data shared by the chief electoral officers of Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa and Kerala on Saturday showed that their combined voter base stood at over 21.45 crore before the SIR exercise began on October 27 last year.
It shrunk to 19.75 crore after publication of their final electoral rolls this week, a net change of over 1.70 crore electors.
While the exercise, which kept the Election Commission in the spotlight, has been completed in Bihar, it is currently underway in 12 states and Union territories covering nearly 60 crore electors.
The remaining 40 crore electors will be covered in 17 states and five Union territories.
In Assam, a "special revision", instead of SIR, was completed on February 10.
Due to a variety of reasons, the SIR in the nine states and three Union territories have seen frequent tweaking in schedules.
As in Bihar, political parties have approached the Supreme Court challenging the exercise in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
