The bishop who forced Justin Welby to resign over his handling of the John Smyth abuse case has warned that too many senior clerics are putting their own job prospects above tackling scandals in the Church of England.
Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle, broke ranks last week to speak out over the former Archbishop of Canterbury’s failure to stop serial abuser Smyth from continuing to pursue his victims.
She claimed Welby and the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell sent her a “coercive letter”.
Speaking to Sky News on Sir Trevor Phillips Sunday show, Bishop Hartley has raised the stakes further, claiming that fellow bishops are deliberately staying silent on the problems in the church because they hope to replace Welby.
She said: “Silence speaks in many ways. Some are silent, perhaps because they see themselves as succeeding to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Others are fearful of being reprimanded and rebuked because I know that colleagues have received letters similar to mine, which are quite heavy in tone.
“So I think genuinely they’re motivated by a fear of just keeping their heads down and not feeling able to speak out, which I think is really unfortunate.”
Sir Trevor responded: “What you seem to be saying to me is that this is a senior hierarchy, if you like, infected by straightforward careerism. That people won’t do what they should do because they’re looking forward to the next job. Is that – is that right?”
Bishop Helen-Ann replied: “I think there will be some thinking like that, unfortunately and I mean, I know that from informal conversations with colleagues. I think others are just used to keeping their heads down and getting on with the job at hand, which is – which is fair enough. But there are times when a prophetic voice is needed and we do have to stand up.”
The damning verdict on Church of England bishops comes as pressure mounts for more resignations in the Smyth scandal.
Former archbishop Welby reluctantly announced his resignation this week after pressure for him to go forced him out.
Smyth, a former barrister, abused boys at evangelical camps, often taking them into soundproof sheds. He used his leadership roles in the Iwerne Trust in the 1970s and 1980s to carry out his crimes. The Trust was a charity that organised summer camps for young Christians.
He is known to have sexually, psychologically and physically abused about 30 boys and young men in the United Kingdom and 85 in Zimbabwe and South Africa over five decades.
