Makin report: Bishop of Lincoln apologises for failing to 'rigorously' pursue abuse claims

The Bishop of Lincoln has insisted he did all he could to report abuse allegations against a prolific paedophile, but has apologised for failing to "rigorously" pursue the claims.

Right Reverend Stephen Conway was Bishop of Ely in 2013 when he was told details of John Smyth’s abuse.

A report published last week found Smyth, a barrister, had abused more than 100 children and young men in the UK and Africa during an association with the Church of England spanning five decades.

The Makin report concluded Smyth, who died in 2018 while under police investigation, might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby formally reported him to police a decade ago.

Welby announced his resignation over the issue on Tuesday afternoon, saying the report had "renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame".

Bishop Conway has now come under pressure over what he did after he became aware of allegations against Smyth.

In a statement he said he “made a detailed disclosure to [the Archbishop's office] Lambeth Palace and contacted the relevant diocese in South Africa to alert them to the issue" when the claims were raised with him.

He said he understood the matter had been reported to police in the UK.

The Bishop said: "I am clear that I did all within my authority as a Bishop of the Church of England, bearing in mind that I had no authority over an entirely independent province on another continent."

However, he added: “I acknowledge fully that my fault was in not rigorously pursuing Lambeth about that province-to-province communication, and for this I am deeply sorry.”

Bishop Conway said he welcomed the publication of the report, adding: “The victims and survivors of abuse are at the centre of my prayers as this review is published."

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