The spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Velby, was under pressure, which could lead to his resignation. Three members of the Synod of the Anglican Church initiated a petition in which they call for the release of the Archbishop because of his role in concealing a sexual scandal, which took place 40 years ago.
In particular, Velby is accused of trying to hide John Smith, the organizer of Christian camps for children who were accused of sexual and physical violence against more than 115 boys and boys in the 1980s. The critics of the Archbishop claim that he personally knew about Smith's crimes, but tried to avoid publicity.
Despite Velby's assurance that he had no information about Smith's actions, a group of bishops was convinced in the opposite. The petition for the resignation of the Archbishop has already collected about three thousand signatures, and the amount of support continues to grow. The situation has caused widespread indignation among the believers and questioned the confidence in the leadership of the Anglican Church.
