Justin Welby makes children's charity donation and sends final Christmas card - after resigning as Archbishop of Canterbury over CoE's worst child abuse scandal
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Justin Welby has made a donation to a children’s charity to accompany his last annual Christmas card before departing his role over the Church’s worst child abuse scandal. The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury raised eyebrows with the gesture after he was forced to quit over a damning report which found he had failed to act properly in the case of serial child abuser John Smyth.
![[John Smyth (pictured) QC is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/23/93296165-0-image-a-5_1734565488664.jpg)
The card from Dr Welby and his wife, Caroline, states that a donation has been made to The Children’s Society, which they noted ‘works with children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation, abuse’. The couple said they had chosen to make a donation to a charity which ‘restlessly pursues its goal of a society built for all children’.
![[The outgoing Archbishop donated to The Children’s Society noted for its work with ‘children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation’. Pictured: Children’s Society’s HQ in London.]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/23/93296163-0-image-a-6_1734565491942.jpg)
The donation was welcomed by clergy last night. Janet Fife, a retired priest and campaigner for victims of abuse in the Church, said she was glad that Dr Welby had donated to ‘such a good cause’. Justin Welby (pictured) raised eyebrows with the gesture after he was forced to quit over the damning report.
John Smyth (pictured) QC is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England. The outgoing Archbishop donated to The Children’s Society noted for its work with ‘children affected by criminal and sexual exploitation’. Pictured: Children’s Society’s HQ in London.
She added: ‘I wish he’d done more to protect children and vulnerable adults while he was in office, and to help survivors of abuse within the Church of England. And I note that Jesus told us to keep our charitable giving private, and not make a public show of it.’.
