Justin Welby says he 'forgives' John Smyth

Do not defend the monster that forgave a monster. Welby suffered by doing nothing and hoping he'd get away with the same kind of cover up that happened in the 1980s.

The reaction of a survivor of Smyth's dreadful abuse to Welby's interview.
premierchristian.news/us/news/article/church-abuse-survivors-justin-welby-interview

OldFrill
Thanks for that link.
The survivors I have heard speaking on radio do not have a good opinion of Welby. Some of the interactions with him sound quite bizarre. At the very least he seems devoid of self awareness.

Such a poor thread, factually. He also said "He's abused the victims and survivors.  So whether I forgive or not is, to a large extent, irrelevant."

Educating yourself can be as simple as looking up the facts rather than simple unthinking reaction to propagandised headlines.

PoliticsNerd

Such a poor thread, factually. He also said "He's abused the victims and survivors.  So whether I forgive or not is, to a large extent, irrelevant."

Educating yourself can be as simple as looking up the facts rather than simple unthinking reaction to propagandised headlines.

Absolutely. I wonder how many of those reacting to that headline, here and on other media, have actually listened to the whole interview.

I'm not defending his actions which were, at best, neglectful of his duty and, at worst, aiding and abetting offences.

Glad he's gone and that he may now get his wish to disappear and never trouble us again

These are the quotes (BBC)
“Yes. I think if he was alive and I saw him, but it’s not me he’s abused."

“He’s abused the victims and survivors. So whether I forgive or not is, to a large extent, irrelevant"

So he qualifies his forgiveness by claiming it's "to a large extent irrelevant"

It's totally irrelevant. The people worthy of discussing this are the survivors, not the culprits who were complicit in the cover up and/or the failure to act. How he can live with himself beggars belief, and he's still in Lambeth Palace.

Words fail me. I think if he had to say anything about forgiving Smyth, he should have shared it with his own close friends only.
Rather than the national debate about abuse being influenced by his statement.

This man did himself no favours agreeing to an interview. (Must have the same Advisors as Prince Andrew!!) can’t image anyone was impressed or feels sorry for him. I certainly don’t and sadly - feel there is even more to come out on his appalling handling of all this. Sincerely hope he disappears into obscurity…..unless he faces any charges at a later date.