Resignation of Archbishop Justin

As Archbishop Justin acknowledged in his resignation statement, his personal failure in the handling of abuse allegations against John Smyth once he was made aware of them in 2013 has made his position untenable.

We recognise that we need to protect children and vulnerable adults, and provide care and support to survivors. Whilst there is sadness here at Archbishop Justin’s departure – many Cathedral and Diocese colleagues have worked closely with him since his enthronement – his apology and resignation demonstrate how the Church of England has changed, and continues to change, in its approach to safeguarding. There is still more work to do.

Canterbury Cathedral and the Diocese of Canterbury now have robust safeguarding measures in place to protect children and vulnerable adults, and to support survivors of abuse. We have been entrusted with a duty of care and responsibility, and this is one of our most important concerns.

We encourage anyone who needs support or who has a safeguarding concern, to contact the Cathedral and Diocesan Safeguarding teams whose details can be found at www.canterburydiocese.org/safeguarding or www.canterbury-cathedral.org/safeguarding/