At least Justin Welby’s valedictory speech went down well in the House of Lords. Speeches from those in the Upper Chamber yesterday praised Welby’s personal qualities and spiritual counsel and his work pushing for social change. There was even a fleeting mention of one of his books. But outside the chamber many of those watching the Archbishop, while he said his farewell words to the House following his resignation last month over the Church of England’s handling of one of its worst-ever abuse scandals, were horrified.
Welby’s address has been called frivolous and tone deaf
‘Whether one is personally responsible or not’ the time had come for a head to roll, he said. ‘There is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough’. In a macabre move, Welby then mentioned the fate of Simon of Sudbury, a former incumbent of his role, who had his head cut off during the peasants’ revolt; as Lord Chancellor, Sudbury had been key in enacting the third poll tax that triggered the revolt.
Welby’s address has been called frivolous and tone deaf by those who suffered at the hands of John Smyth. Clergy expressed shock too, with Reverend Richard Bastable posting online: ‘No pity for the church he has damaged or the victims of abuse.’ Another priest called the speech an example of ‘how not to communicate, from the Church of England’.
The contrast between the plaudits in the Lords, and the despair felt by many in the parishes was stark. Writer and priest Fergus Butler-Gallie said Welby will be ‘remembered as the worst Archbishop of modern times’.
Has our departing Primate delivered more in Parliament than he has been able to achieve as a primate? Many of his choices may well impact the shape of the role his successor will inhabit. Proposals to significantly alter the leadership of the Anglican Communion continue apace, with publication today of a report from the Communion’s theological group suggesting that those ‘in Communion with the see of Canterbury’ now reference a ‘historic connection’ with Canterbury, and bring in a rotating presidency for the Communion. Both reduce the Archbishop’s structural role in the worldwide Anglican church. With Harriet Harman putting forward an amendment to remove the Lords Spiritual altogether, might the manner of the Archbishop’s leaving affect the ability of his successors to sit there by right?
Politically, Welby has been incredibly active over the last 12 years. He visibly perks up whenever he is in parliament as could be seen yesterday even in the midst of his current very dark days. His biological parents both worked for Winston Churchill, and one of his earliest memories was having tea with the great statesman while Churchill wept. Eton and then Cambridge too, doubtless provided a sense of great expectations that needed to be met. With his seat in the Lords, he stepped up, right from the start. On entering in 2012 as the new Bishop of Durham, he was quickly appointed to the newly-formed Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, and led the Lords debate on it. He went on to speak out against payday lending, and to launch a campaign for credit unions. (Not realising at the time, that the Church of England had indirectly invested in Wonga…whoops.)
The annual Archbishops’ debate in the Lords has, in recent years, considered topics as varied as banking standards, soft power, reconciliation, education, British values, housing, freedom of speech, migration, and families. Welby’s time spent travelling the globe, while perhaps frustrating for many back home, has enabled him to make informed contributions in many debates on foreign policy, from the Middle East to Sudan and more.
Most notoriously, of course, have been Welby’s interventions in the parliamentary debates on the previous government’s Rwanda scheme, including amendments in his name. He launched a community sponsorship scheme, and personally housed a Syrian refugee family at Lambeth Palace for two years. In his final months in office, he had been an outspoken campaigner against the legalisation of assisted suicide, advocating for better care for those with disabilities and at the end of their lives. His valedictory speech appeared to be delivered without notes, and it is clear how much more animated, and alive, he looks here than he often does across Parliament Square in speaking to the General Synod, the Church’s own legislative body.
But in speaking in Parliament, it is not just the room itself that he must read; it is the national mood too. Welby’s well-intentioned words on housing seem likely to be overlooked in the crush to criticise his misguided attempt at a light-hearted goodbye without any proper acknowledgement of the suffering of Smyth survivors. Instead, Welby joked about pity for his diary secretary.
Archbishop Welby said that every time he entered the Lords it has made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up ‘at the privilege of being allowed to sit on these benches’. He acknowledged the huge contribution made by the House which the nation ‘usually does not recognise’. He has loved the Lords. And they have loved him right back.
The farewells yesterday for Welby were fulsome. But the push-back from the parishes, and the people, has also been noteworthy.Welby’s head may have already rolled in one sense. But if the Archbishop is praying for a resurrection of his political and Parliamentary life – and a return to the Lords, as is custom for retiring archbishops – all bets are off.
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