‘Darkness’ in Church of England over abuse scandals, says Archbishop of York

Archbishop Welby stood officially down on Monday after a 12-year period in the position which heads not just the established Church of England but the global Anglican Communion.

The Church of Ireland is affiliated to the Anglican Communion, as is the episcopal church in Scotland and Anglican churches in various parts of the world in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

In a letter addressed to clergy, lay ministers and people of the Church of England' to mark Christian festival Epiphany, Archbishop Cottrell said he would work to ensure new proposals for independent scrutiny of safeguarding are brought before the church's general synod next month.

These proposals are part of a process announced by the Church of England in December to assess any ongoing safeguarding risk or new evidence in the light of the Makin Review which found the church had failed in its handling of ongoing abuse allegations against a late Christian barrister.

Archbishop Cottrell said that while 'significant progress' had been made, the recent events and particularly the Makin Review "have sometimes felt as though we have been separated from the light and hope of Chris".

Reading reports of abuse, cover-ups, and institutional failure, we are confronted with a darkness that has harmed so many. To those who have been hurt, I offer my deepest apologies.

"These painful reports serve as a stark reminder that victims and survivors are asking for – and deserve – more than words of lament. They call us to action," said the archbishop.

While recognising that 'significant progress' in safeguarding has been made by thousands of faithful safeguarding officers and staff, the archbishop said more has to be done to make the church "safer and more accountable and for our processes to be trusted."

The Archbishop has himself been strongly criticised by victims and survivors for his own handling of some safeguarding cases.

In December it emerged that he had twice re-appointed a priest with a known history of sexual abuse to a senior role in his diocese while he was bishop of Chelmsford.

In his letter, he said: 'Whether it is my decisions that are called into question or anyone’s within the church, our safeguarding practices must be subject to independent oversight and scrutiny."

The next archbishop will be announced in the autumn. Archbishop Cottrell, who will head the selection panel, is unlikely to be seen as a permanent successor as he will be 67 in August, too close to the fixed retirement age of 70. It is possible for the new archbishop to be recruited from an overseas church of the Anglican Communion. Indeed, a nominee could even come from the affiliated Church of Ireland. A female archbishop is also possible.