Outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said he “would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the hurt” caused by some choice remarks in his final speech in the House of Lords. His speech, granted yesterday afternoon during a debate about homelessnses, unsurprisingly caused upset for church abuse victims who were left “dismayed” and “disgusted” by his flippant remarks, accusing him of striking a “frivolous” tone while showing no real remorse or accountability. A reminder of what Welby said yesterday:
“The reality is that there comes a time if you are technically leading a particular institution or area of responsibility where the shame of what has gone wrong – whether one is personally responsible or not – must require a head to roll. And there is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough. I hope not literally.”
It’s certainly not the only time Welby’s made a fool of himself. If Welby was hoping his resignation would smooth things over, this latest gaffe has only made things worse…
Read the full apology below:
“Yesterday, I gave my farewell speech in the House of Lords, as part of a debate on housing and homelessness.
I would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the hurt that my speech has caused.
I understand that my words – the things that I said, and those I omitted to say – have caused further distress for those who were traumatised, and continue to be harmed, by John Smyth’s heinous abuse, and by the far reaching effects of other perpetrators of abuse.
I did not intend to overlook the experience of survivors, or to make light of the situation – and I am very sorry for having done so.
It remains the case that I take both personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period after 2013, and the harm that this has caused survivors.
I continue to feel a profound sense of shame at the Church of England’s historic safeguarding failures.”
Bookmark this from Andy Burnham:
2029: “that’s when the next election will be.”
May 2027: “Absolutely not.”
“No election any time soon.”
“All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.”