John Smyth's victims call for Archbishop's resignation

Andrew Morse told BBC Radio 4 he was abused by Smyth, a barrister who ran Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, while he was a pupil at Winchester College, including repeated beatings, which he said led him to attempt suicide.

Mr Morse said: “I think he should resign; I think the church is incredibly stringent with its rules for everyday vicars and those lower down the scale about what to do when abuse is reported to you.

READ MORE: John Smyth QC abuse survivor calls for ‘clean sweep’ of Church of England

Two of Smyth's victims have called for Welby's resignation (Image: James Manning/PA) “The Archbishop has himself admitted that he failed in 2013 and I think for that reason – although on a personal level I know how difficult it is not to hold on to secrets and particularly secrets in which you yourself come out maybe with a degree of shame – I believe that now is an opportunity for him to resign.

“I say opportunity in the sense that this would be an opportunity for him to stand with the victims of Smyth’s abuse and all victims that have not been treated properly by the Church of England in their own abuse cases.”

An independent review published last week concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice had Justin Welby formally reported the abuse to police a decade ago.

Another abuse survivor echoed Morse's calls for the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign as he demanded a “clean sweep” of senior clergy members.

Mark Stibbe, who was abused by John Smyth QC in the 1980s, told BBC Newsnight on Monday that Justin Welby’s position was “untenable” after an independent review published last week concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally reported the abuse to police a decade ago.

The recent Makin review described the now deceased John Smyth as “sadistic” and the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England.

Mr Stibbe told TV presenter Victoria Derbyshire: “I honestly don’t believe that Justin Welby can continue – I don’t believe that his position is tenable. I would also apply that to the bishops that knew and did nothing, and the senior clergy of the Church of England that knew and did nothing.

SEE ALSO: Church of England response to John Smyth serial abuse ‘amounted to a cover-up’

“Their positions are also untenable.”

Commenting on a statement from the bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley, who said earlier on Monday the Church of England risked losing its “moral voice” if the situation persisted, Mr Stibbe called for a “clean sweep” of the senior clergy following the publication of the report.

He said: “There needs to be a clean sweep of the hierarchy, and new people need to be put in position – people like the bishop of Newcastle who has spoken out so courageously today.

“Those people who clearly have integrity and intentionality when it comes to protecting the vulnerable need to be the people in positions of authority.

“Justin Welby and all those senior clergy that did nothing but knew what was going on they need to stand down, and they need to be replaced by people who have a proven passion for this.”