After last week suggesting he wouldn't resign, Justin Welby has stepped down as Archbishop of Canterbury. This comes following the publication of a damning report, suggesting Welby failed to act when informed over a decade ago of abuses committed by barrister John Smyth.
Smyth reportedly abused approximately 130 boys and young men, subjecting them to brutal physical, psychological, and sexual attacks spanning five decades across three countries.
The resignation of Justin Welby was absolutely justified — the Archbishop's undignifiedfailure resignationto cannotintervene merelyin beSmyth's skirtedabuses overconstituted complicity with dialoguehis aboutbrutal aand potentialheinous successorcrimes. ThisHowever, latesthaving seriestaken ofresponsibility eventsfor highlightshis thefailings, Churchwe ofmust England'snow dwindlinglook statusahead into modernconsider society,who andmay thetake oustingWelby's andplace. moralThere condemnationare ofseveral it'simpressive, mosteligible seniorcandidates figureheadwho maycould comesoon to be theleading nail in the coffinChurch forof theEngland CoE'sand influenceinfluencing inChristians anaround increasinglythe agnostic world.
ThereWelby's undignified resignation cannot merely be skirted over with dialogue about a 50%potential chancesuccessor. thatThis atlatest leastseries 21% of theevents globalhighlights populationthe willChurch identifyof asEngland's "religiouslydwindling unaffiliated"status in 2050modern society, accordingand the ousting and moral condemnation of its most senior figurehead may come to be the Metaculusnail predictionin communitythe coffin for the CoE's influence in an increasingly agnostic world.