The Archbishop of Canterbury’s son has said his father was “right to resign” following a damning review into the most prolific abuser associated with the Church of England, according to reports.

The independent Makin Review concluded that barrister John Smyth might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said on Tuesday that his decision to step down – which came after days of pressure following the report’s publication – was in the best interests of the Church.

In a statement on Tuesday, he said: “It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and re-traumatising period between 2013 and 2024.”

READ MORE: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns over scandal

Justin Welby (Image: Doug Peters/PA Wire) Now, Mr Welby’s son Tim has said his father was “right to resign” and his position “became untenable, simply because so many people were calling for his resignation”, The Mirror reports.

Tim Welby told The Mirror: “He’s definitely very embarrassed and appalled by what’s happened.

“I know he’s going to spend a lot of his time left in office having conversations with some of the people and trying to make sure that things are set up in the right way – so that kind of lapse cannot happen again.

“He’s trying to meet with people who were the victims of Smyth but others as well. He will be doing a lot of that. That’s going to be one of his primary focuses.”

He said: “The frustrating thing is I don’t think it ever occurred to him that it hadn’t been reported to the police.

“When, as Archbishop, you are told that something has happened, it has usually gone through so many hands. It seemed utterly inconceivable that someone wouldn’t have said to the police: ‘This has been going on’.

“He is really, really cross that it didn’t occur to him – to triple check that someone had actually done that. If you discover a crime then, of course, it gets reported. I wouldn’t say he was naive so much.

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“Certainly, if it had happened later on, he would have known what was going on and would have been more explicit.”

He added: “It feels more like a political decision to resign where something’s gone wrong in the office. The person at the top is always responsible. His position became untenable, simply because so many people were calling for his resignation.”

Tim Welby said his father is “a good man and I love him a lot”.

He said: “Dad was right to resign – it was the correct decision. I’m so very proud of my dad for all he has done throughout his life and his work for the Church of England."