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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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
