The Archbishop of Canterbury “could and should” have formally reported the abuse to authorities in 2013, the review said It added that some of the victims felt a “sense of personal betrayal by Justin Welby” after promises were made on a Zoom call to investigate all the Clergy identified as possibly not acting on information they had.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has revealed he considered resigning after a report found the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister for years. John Smyth QC, who abused as many as 130 boys and young men at Christian summer camps, could have been brought to justice a decade ago, an independent review found.

The abuse spanned five decades and three countries with as many as many as 130 boys and young men victimised, a review found.