Martin Seeley, bishop of St Edmunsbury and Ipswich, comments on resignation of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury illustrated how the Church of England was committed to change and to creating a safer environment, Suffolk’s most senior bishop has said.

Martin Seeley, the bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, believes Justin Welby took personal and institutional responsibility for safeguarding failures in relation to a child sex abuser involved with the church.

Late last night, the Archbishop announced he would resign after a damning report into the actions of John Smyth.

A report said he ‘could and should’ have reported Smyth, who was thought to have physically, psychologically and sexually abused more than 130 young men and boys in the UK and Africa over nearly five decades, to the police.

Bishop Martin said: “The Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to step down shows how clearly the Church of England understands the need for change and its profound commitment to creating a safer church.

“The Archbishop has taken personal and institutional responsibility for the failures of safeguarding brought to light by the Makin Review and is deeply sorry for the horrific abuse inflicted by the late John Smyth and its lifelong effects, already spanning more than 40 years.”

Bishop Martin said no words could undo the damage done to people’s lives, both by Smyth and by the failures of individuals in the church.

He extended his profound gratitude to the courage, grace and dignity of victims who came forward to reveal the ‘horrific extent’ of Smyth’s abuse.

Bishop Martin added: “We knew the review would be incredibly important and I was very grateful to be among the large number of people contributing to the review nationally.

“The church and its associated organisations clearly must be deeply penitent and learn from this review and continue to be committed to implementing ongoing robust safeguarding procedures, across all parts of the church.”