He resigned as archbishop in November 2024 following criticism in an independent review of the way he dealt with abuse disclosures about the late Christian barrister John Smyth. Smyth has been described as the Church of England’s most serial abuser after abusing over 100 boys and young men he met at Christian camps in the 1970s and 80s.
The Makin Review into the Church of England’s handling of the case found that the then Archbishop Welby and other church leaders should have formally reported Smyth in 2013 to police in the UK and authorities in South Africa where Smyth was living at the time. Smyth, who evaded justice, is believed to have continued his abuse in South Africa until his death in 2018.
Speaking to Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast the former archbishop said: "I've been seeing a psychotherapist for a considerable period of time. And a psychiatrist. Very helpful,” adding “It's not about saying, 'oh, it didn't matter,' or anything like that, quite the reverse – how does one live with such a failure?”
During the interview Welby also repeated his claim that the Makin Review was incomplete because it hadn’t seen crucial evidence that emerged after its publication:
"The initial perception was that we'd not reported it to the police – in fact, it had been reported to the police." Reviewer Keith Makin has disputed this saying "Bishop Welby carried a personal and a moral responsibility to ensure that he pursued the matter."
Dr Andrew Graystone is an advocate for victims and survivors of abuse and also the author of ‘Bleeding for Jesus’ a book about Smyth’s abuse. He said he hoped the 70 year old's therapists are also helping him “to reflect on the experience of victims of abuse, and what it is about the theology and culture of the church that facilitates abuse and makes the church so resistant to transparency and repair.”