The Standard

Church of England abuse victims urge more resignations after Welby quits

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Episode notes

Victims of the Church of England’s worst ever child abuser have demanded further resignations after the Archbishop of Canterbury quit in ‘shame’ over the scandal.

Justin Welby had been under days of pressure after a damning review into attacks by barrister John Smyth QC - who died in South Africa 2018 - that found he may have been brought to justice had Welby formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Over decades from the 1970s, Smyth, a lay church reader, subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to sadistic physical, sexual and psychological attacks, the independent Makin review found.

So, why did the scandal take so long to come to light, what are the victims calling for, and what is future for the Church of England?

We’re joined by Melanie McDonagh, a columnist at The London Standard, and a leader writer at the Catholic Herald.

In part two, president-elect Donald Trump has handed Elon Musk the job of running a new Department of Government Efficiency, as part of his new cabinet.

The London Standard’s deputy political editor Jitendra Joshi discusses the focus of Musk’s new role and whether there are potential conflicts of interest.

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