Children's charity rejects Christmas donation from Archbishop Justin Welby
A children's charity said it has rejected the Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas donation as it would "not be consistent" with its work supporting victims of sexual abuse.
In his annual Christmas e-card sent earlier this week, Justin Welby, who quit over his failure in handling a sex abuse case in the Church of England, said he would be making a donation to The Children's Society.
A message in the card noted that the charity “works with children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation, abuse” and other issues.
However, on Friday the charity said it has "respectfully decided" not to accept the donation after a review found the Archbishop had failed to report allegations of abuse to the police.
Chief executive of the charity, Mark Russell, said: "After careful consideration, we have respectfully decided not to accept the donation offered by the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury.
"The Children’s Society is deeply committed to supporting the survivors of abuse, our teams support victims of child sexual abuse, and this means that accepting this donation would not be consistent with the principles and values that underpin our work."
After days of public pressure, Mr Welby announced his resignation from the Church "in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse" in the wake of the Makin Review. He will officially step down in January.
The independent review found he had failed to report serial abuser, John Smyth to the police when he was made aware of the allegations in 2013 and could've brought Smyth to justice.
Barrister John Smyth abused as many as 130 boys and men in the UK and Africa over five decades and is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
Smyth died aged 77 in Cape Town, South Africa in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police and was "never brought to justice for the abuse", the Makin report said.
Mr Russell added: "We were profoundly shocked by the findings of the Makin report, and our thoughts are with all survivors of abuse.
"We believe that there is an urgent need for the Church of England to reset its approach to safeguarding and continue to create a safer Church and safer spaces for young people, protected by real accountability and a culture of care.
"The Children’s Society’s life-changing work supports children facing abuse, exploitation or struggling with their mental health.
"We remain deeply grateful for the generosity of those who share our vision and the support of those donations is crucial to changing children’s lives for the better.
"We will continue to focus on delivering a society built for all children.”
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A spokesperson for the archbishop said: “Lambeth Palace respects the decision made by The Children’s Society.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury shares the principles and values of The Children’s Society and is committed to supporting the survivors of abuse and victims of child sexual abuse.
“He applauds The Children’s Society for their tireless work in this field.”
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