A former chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury has become the first serving bishop to step back from her role after an independent review found failings in the Church of England’s handling of abuse allegations against the late barrister John Smyth.
Rt Rev Dr Jo Bailey Wells, who is now Bishop for Episcopal Ministry in the Anglican Communion, was asked to temporarily pause her ministry by the Diocese of London, pending a “safeguarding risk assessment”.
Yesterday the Church of England announced that its National Safeguarding Team (NST) had begun examining safeguarding criticisms against individuals named in the Makin Review into Smyth's abuse.
Dr Bailey Wells was criticised in the Makin Review for failing to act sufficiently on concerns about Smyth after they had been reported to Lambeth Palace when she was the Archbishop’s chaplain in 2013.
Last month, Most Rev Justin Welby resigned after the review found the Church had failed to take sufficient action when concerns were raised over Smyth’s abuse.
Smyth was found to have abused around 130 boys and young men he met at Christian camps in the 1970s and 80s. He died in Cape Town in 2018 before he could be brought to justice.
Dr Bailey Wells who is also Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, had told the review that the concerns raised with her were not “remarkable” and that safeguarding wasn’t part of her remit.
After the review was published she said that at the time she had been confident the matter was being overseen elsewhere and that she “was not aware of the nature or extent of the allegations".
"I regret that I did not do more to verify the assurances given or query assumptions," she added.
Survivors have been calling for high-ranking bishops and clergy to be held accountable for their failings in the way they handled reports of abuse.
This week the Bishop of Newcastle Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley has also called for serving bishops to “step back” from official duties while their failures identified in the review were investigated.
The findings of the NST’s review are set to be presented at the next meeting of the Church’s General Synod in February.