THE acting Bishop of Carlisle has said it ‘right’ that the Archbishop of Canterbury has ‘borne responsibility’ for the ‘failings’ of the church highlighted in a recent report.

On Tuesday, after days of pressure following a damning report into the 'cover-up' of child abuse by John Smyth, Archbishop Justin Welby announced that he would resign.

Victims of John Smyth, a barrister who led Christian summer camps and is thought to be the most prolific abuser associated with the Church, have called for further resignations from senior clergy members involved in the scandal.

The review concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally reported him to police in 2013.

Keith Makin, who led the independent review, said last week that “despite the efforts of some individuals to bring the abuse to the attention of authorities, the responses by the Church of England and others were wholly ineffective and amounted to a cover-up”.

Archbishop Welby had initially said he would not resign following the report’s publication last week but was forced to go after the Bishop of Newcastle publicly called for his resignation.

In his resignation statement, Mr Welby said he was quitting “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse” and that the past few days had “renewed my long-felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England”.

In a statement to the Diocese of Carlisle, the acting Bishop of Carlisle said that we must be ‘angry’ at what happened to Symth’s victims but also about the failure of the church to protect them.

Acting Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev Rob Saner-Haigh said: “The details contained within the Makin Report make for extremely difficult reading.

“My prayers are with all those affected by the actions of the late John Smyth.

“I cannot begin to imagine their pain and anguish. As I have previously said, we should be angry at what has been done to them and wrongly justified in the name of God.

“We should equally be angry at the failures of the church’s response over so many years and the further harm this causes victims and survivors.

“As Acting Diocesan Bishop, safeguarding is a primary focus for me. I see that, too, across the county through the work of so many others for whom safeguarding is a priority.

“Whilst safeguarding is about robust protocols and procedures, it is also about creating a culture through which people feel empowered to come forward, to seek help and support and to have confidence that they will be listened to and the appropriate action taken.

“When the Church of England has failed, it is right and proper that, both collectively and individually, we take responsibility.

“It is in this light that I note the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, after the Makin Report highlighted particular failures of his.

“Only he can speak to this. However, I think it is right that he has borne responsibility for these failings.

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“As a Church we must hear and respond to the justified hurt and anger, recognise the trust which has been lost, lament the mistakes which have been made, and work with others to do better.

“As the Archbishop prepares to leave office, we recognise his long service and ministry and pray for him and his family.

“At the same time, we remain committed to doing the hard work over many years to ensure that our intentions, our life and culture are aligned for the good of all, and in service to the God who has a particular concern for those who are vulnerable and who have been hurt and exploited.”