Church of Uganda archbishop Kaziimba reacts to Welby’s resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu is advocating for children’s wellbeing following the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the most senior leader in the Church of England over his handling of an abuse scandal.  

Canterbury is the seat of the Anglican Church worldwide.
“I have received news of the resignation of The Most Rev and Rt Hon Justin Welby as the Archbishop of Canterbury following a report on his failure to address child abuse allegations in the Church of England,” Kaziimba stated in a November 12 statement.
Archbishop Kaziimba said there was grieving because of the Church of England’s leadership covering up the abuse, a matter that forced the Church of Uganda to cease recognising the authority of Welby because of his inability to uphold the historic and biblical teaching of the Church of England on marriage and family.

“It grieves us deeply that so many people suffered from the continued abuse of John Smyth over many years simply because the church’s leadership covered up the abuse, did not uphold the moral teaching of the Bible and the church, and failed to defend the vulnerable,” Kaziimba said, adding, “Unfortunately, this is the same compromised leadership that has led to the fabric of the Anglican Communion being torn at its deepest level.”

And with the Church of Uganda spontaneously focusing on the welfare of children during this month of November, the Archbishop Kaziimba urged everyone to go the extra mile of ensuring that children are safe by creating a conducive environment for them.
Welby, in a Wednesday, November 13-public statement, confirmed his resignation following a report of the horrendous exploitations of child abuser John Smyth.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” Welby said, adding, “When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow. It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024…. As I step down, I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.”

A Canadian-born barrister, John Smyth who doubled as an evangelist ran Christian camps in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom where he was implicated for sexually and physically abused young boys and young men.

The church believes that had Welby handled the matter sooner after becoming aware of it in 2013, Smyth would have been earlier apprehended for his reported crimes. Smyth died in 2018.
Archbishop Kaziimba’s remarks on Welby’s resignation come almost a year later after the Anglican Church of Uganda broke away from Canterbury. The decision was made following the Church of England’s move of allowing clergy to preside over same-sex marriages, a move the Anglican Church of Uganda strongly opposes.
 
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