Welby makes children’s charity donation and sends last Christmas card in role

The Archbishop of Canterbury made a donation to a children’s charity as he sent his annual Christmas card for the final time in his leading role in the Church of England before officially quitting over failures in handling an abuse scandal.

Justin Welby and his wife Caroline sent an e-card for the festive season, less than three weeks before he steps down.

The donation has been made to The Children’s Society, which the couple noted “works with children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation, abuse” and other issues.

Mr Welby will formally step away from his role as the most senior bishop in the Church of England on January 6, and is not expected to take part in any public Christmas services before then, including not giving the traditional December 25 sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.

He announced last month he was resigning from his leading role in the Church “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse” in the wake of the Makin Review.

The resignation announcement followed days of pressure after the independent review concluded barrister John Smyth – thought to have been the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

Across five decades in three different countries and involving as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa, Smyth is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.

Smyth died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, and was “never brought to justice for the abuse”, the Makin report said.

Mr Welby made another apology earlier this month after his final speech in the House of Lords, which was criticised by a bishop who said she was “deeply disturbed” by the language used, and by an abuse survivor who said it was “tone deaf”.

The archbishop had referenced a 14th century beheading which prompted laughter from some peers, and suggested “if you pity anyone, pity my poor diary secretary” who had seen weeks and months of work “disappear in a puff of a resignation announcement”.

His apology a day after the speech said the words “did not intend to overlook the experience of survivors, or to make light of the situation – and I am very sorry for having done so”.

His last annual formal Christmas card is accompanied by the traditional carol What Child Is This?, performed by St Martin’s Voices, and features the message: “May you find the welcome of Christ this Christmas and know his joy and peace in the New Year.”

The couple said they had chosen to make a donation to a charity “which empowers young people by tackling the adverse conditions that prevent them from flourishing”.

They added: “Through its specialist support, wellbeing and mental health services, The Children’s Society restlessly pursues its goal of a society built for all children.”