“I am numbed and deeply saddened at losing an Archbishop who is much loved across the Anglican Communion, but his courageous decision to accept accountability is an important step towards eradicating, root and branch, the scandal of abuse in the church worldwide.
“The scandalous abuse of innocent people, often at the most vulnerable times of their lives, affects us all. The Anglican church in Cape Town in which John Smyth worshipped – for a year or two 20 years ago, and again in the final months of his life – has reported that it never received any reports suggesting he abused or groomed young people, but there is no room for complacency.
“For we have had other instances of abuse in the church in Southern Africa, and it is only in recent years that we have established a Safe and Inclusive Church Commission, which is pro-actively pursuing such cases.
“The bishops of Southern Africa join me in assuring Archbishop Justin and his family of their prayers. They share my sadness at his resignation and their respect for a decision reflecting Archbishop Justin’s compassion for those affected by the church’s ills.”
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Metropolitan
Anglican Church of Southern Africa
[…] The Church Times reports that the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, has made an urgent request for a timeline of events of John Smyth’s activities in South Africa. Smyth was persuaded to move to Zimbabwe in 1984 and moved again to South Africa in 2001, where he worshipped at an Anglican church. The Makin report says 85 boys were abused in these places and the problem had been “exported to Africa”. Dr Makgoba’s statement is here […]