For nearly half a century, a prominent barrister and evangelical Christian leader named John Smyth sadistically abused boys and young men with impunity. Operating at Christian summer camps in England and later in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Smyth groomed and preyed upon victims, subjecting them to savage and repeated beatings that left some with wounds taking weeks to heal.
Smyth, who passed away in 2018, never faced justice in England for his crimes. A case against him in Zimbabwe following the unexplained death of a 16-year-old boy at one of his camps was dismissed. But after years of silence, demands are intensifying for the Church of England to finally reckon with its gross failures surrounding Smyth and the camps where he exploited his leadership roles to abuse with impunity.
Scathing Independent Report Exposes Shortcomings
A newly released independent report offers a damning assessment of the church’s approach to safeguarding and culture of “groupthink” that allowed abuse to persist unchecked. The review, conducted by Keith Makin, highlights the troubling ties between Smyth and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who attended the same camps in his youth and failed to adequately investigate abuse allegations connected to them.
Perhaps most alarming is the revelation of an “active cover-up” of the earliest known report documenting the abuse, which dates back to 1982. This crucial report was concealed from the public eye for decades.
Bishop and Victims Call for Welby’s Resignation
Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, has joined a chorus of Smyth’s victims in asserting that Archbishop Welby’s apologies ring hollow and that he should tender his resignation. They argue that his admissions of “shaming failure” in 2013, upon learning a victim had reached out to the Bishop of Ely and receiving the long-buried 1982 report, do not suffice.
At this juncture, Mr. Welby, who had just ascended to Archbishop, neither notified law enforcement nor initiated an internal church investigation into the allegations against Smyth. There were also communications at the time between high-ranking clergy in England and their counterparts in South Africa, where Smyth was then residing. Yet Archbishop Welby and the other church leaders privy to Smyth’s dark past took no further action.
Senior Clergy Failed to Act on Abuse Knowledge
The Makin review implicates an extensive group of upper-echelon clergy, encompassing no fewer than six currently serving bishops, five retired bishops, and around 30 lower-ranking clergy members who were aware of the accusations against Smyth. In the ensuing years, when two reports were eventually filed with law enforcement, the information provided was incomplete and victims were not consulted, resulting in no formal investigation being launched.
It was not until the scandal exploded into public view in 2017, thanks to an exposé aired on Channel 4, that efforts to extradite Smyth from South Africa finally got underway, though he died before facing trial.
Church Must Enact Urgent Safeguarding Reforms
As has tragically occurred all too often, egregious abuses of power – in this case, perversely intertwined with a warped theology that wielded brutality as a pathway to redemption – were enabled and overlooked by the very institution entrusted with protecting vulnerable young people.
The Church of England has a moral imperative to swiftly implement the safeguarding recommendations outlined in the Makin report, many of which echo the findings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse that detailed a litany of institutional failures.
Welby Should Resign to Demonstrate Accountability
However, beyond policy reforms, Archbishop Welby must deeply reflect on whether his moral authority has been irreparably compromised. As the most visible leader of the church, he was at the helm when profoundly disturbing revelations about an abuser with whom he shared personal history emerged.
“Mr. Welby should seriously consider stepping down, acknowledging the immense harm inflicted and the sacred trust that was betrayed,”
– Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley
Welby’s failure to take decisive action to pursue justice and transparency was an abdication of ethical leadership. If he is to truly hold himself accountable and set the church on a restorative path forward, he should heed the calls from within the church hierarchy and from the victims who have suffered unimaginable anguish and offer his resignation. Only then can the Church of England begin to rebuild from this shameful chapter.
