In 2013, an unusual scene unfolded on BBC Radio: the most senior clergyman in England talking, not about matters of faith, but about banks.

This was shortly after the 2008 banking crisis brought the world economy to its knees. Archbishop of CanterburyAlthough the head of the Church of England is the Queen, the Archbishop is the most senior bishop and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican communion. Justin WelbyThe Archbishop of Canterbury from 2013 to 2024. claimed at that time that senior executives in the banks had ensured they were not told important things so they could later "plead ignorance".

Welby argued that individual bankers should not be named and shamed for their role in the crisis, admitting, "I'm not sure I would have been very different."¹

More than a decade later, some think he has proved himself right. Yesterday Welby had to resign after a review found the Church of EnglandThe main or official church in England, also known as the Anglican Church. The supreme head of the church is the monarch. guilty of a serious cover-up.

John Smyth, an evangelicalA kind of Christianity that stresses the experience of being "born again" when one accepts Christ. Christian with close links to the Church of England, and a personal friend of Welby's, was found in 2017 to have abused boys for decades.² Now we know Welby was informed of his actions but seems to have done nothing.

Welby had apologised for not investigating the claims "energetically", but insists he was told in 2013 that the police were handling the matter, and that until that point he had no inkling of the allegations.³ However, given his long friendship with Smyth, many were unconvinced.

The case drew on longstanding tensions. Many in the Church always felt Welby was an odd choice for Archbishop of Canterbury.

He spent the first part of his career not in orders, but in oil. He left his executiveA person who is a senior manager in a business. job in 1989 but was initially rejected for ordinationA religious ceremony in which someone is made a priest, minister or rabbi. by the Bishop of Kensington, who told him: "There is no place for you in the Church of England."⁴

His appointment marked a stark contrast from his predecessor, the cerebralOf or relating to the brain or the intellect. Rowan WilliamsThe former Archbishop of Canterbury., a former academic in theologyThe study of religious beliefs., avid environmentalist and frequent commentator on social and political matters.

The Church is divided between modernisers who want the Church to embrace a more tolerant view of homosexuality, and conservatives who want a return to traditional services and values.

With his own predilections towards conservative Anglo-CatholicismA movement that emphasises the Catholic history of the Anglican Church/Church of England - rather than the Protestant history. but generally liberal views on social issues and interfaith dialogue, many felt Williams had been able to hold it together.

But under Welby, who is liberal in both social outlook and theology, there was a steady stream of defectors to CatholicismA religious denomination within Christianity, with 1.2 billion believers worldwide. among the more conservative clergy. Welby said this does not worry him. Others disagreed.

His defenders said it was wrong to place responsibility for the cover-up on Welby, whom the review found would reasonably have believed the police were dealing with the case in 2013.⁵

Some also feared that if he stepped down, the Church might descend into in-fighting between liberals and conservatives.

Others said under the Church's own rules, any vicar who did what Welby is accused of would face a stringent disciplinary procedure. They said he needed to set an example.

And survivors of abuse said they felt his resignation was necessary to show solidarity with those who suffered at Smyth's hands and restore confidence that the Church will learn from its mistakes.

Was he right to go?

Yes: To restore trust in the Church, its moral leadership in the nation, and a sense of justice among ordinary vicars, he had to go.

No: The review found Welby likely believed the police were handling the matter. It is their failure, not his. And his resignation in these circumstances may tip the Church into chaos.

Or... Whether or not Welby is truly guilty, every Christian knows sometimes a sacrificial lamb is needed to redeem the sins of a community. The question is who should fulfil that function.