Senior clergy accuses outgoing Archbishop Justin Welby of ‘making light’ of abuse victims in speech

Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley said speech by the outgoing head of the Church of England was disturbing and disrespectful to Church abuse survivors

Justin Welby delivered his final speech as Archbishop of Canterbury in the House of Lords on Thursday (PA)

A leading Church of England bishop has criticised the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury over his valedictory speech, accusing him of making light of the Church’s failure to protect victims and survivors of abuse.

Justin Welby appeared to distance himself from the Church’s failings, which were highlighted in the damning Makin review, when he said a head had to roll “whether one is personally responsible or not”.

His resignation last month followed days of pressure to step down after the review concluded John Smyth, a serial abuser associated with the Church, might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

During his speech in the Lords on Thursday, Mr Welby made a joke comparing his situation to that of a 14th-century predecessor, Simon Sudbury, whose severed head was used in a football match. “I don’t know who won, but it certainly wasn’t Simon of Sudbury,” he said, to laughs from fellow clergymen in the house.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, said she had received messages from across her diocese expressing dismay at his speech and the response from other clergy in the Lords, with the exception of Bishop of London Sarah Mullally.

Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley said Justin Welby’s valedictory speech made ‘light’ of serious matters (AFP/Getty)

“To make light of serious matters of safeguarding failures in this way yet again treats victims and survivors of Church abuse without proper respect or regard. I was disappointed too to see other Lords Spiritual laughing at the jokes that were being made,” she said.

Mr Welby, whose last day as archbishop is 6 January, said on Thursday that “there comes a time if you are technically leading a particular institution or area of responsibility where the shame of what has gone wrong, whether one is personally responsible or not, must require a head to roll.

“And there is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough.”

Ms Hartley said she was “deeply disturbed” by his use of language: “It was, in my view, unwise to say at the very least.”

Bishop Helen-Ann led the calls for Mr Welby to step down before his resignation last month, describing his position as untenable and saying the Church was in danger of losing its credibility.

“I think, rightly, people are asking the question: ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘No,’” she told the BBC in November. She later said the Church leadership was putting career promotion ahead of tackling abuse.

Earlier this week, Ms Hartley told the BBC she had felt “frozen out” and criticised what she called a wall of silence from other senior figures over the abuse saga.

She told The Independent on Thursday that she was repeating her calls for “transparency, accountability and independence when it comes to safeguarding in the Church of England”.

“The publication of the Makin Review must be a watershed for the Church of England and how it deals with safeguarding and how it attends to unhealthy cultures in its midst,” she said.

A representative for Mr Welby declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.