A victim of John Smyth’s abuse says if the Archbishop of Canterbury had apologised to him seven years ago, he would have been able to forgive him and move on with his life.
Last month a report into Smyth, who was an evangelical Christian barrister found he was the Church of England’s most prolific serial abuser. He targeted as many as 130 boys and young men across more than four decades. He died in Cape Town in 2018 before he could face justice.
Graham, one of Smyth’s victims first reported his abuse to the Church of England in 2012, but the allegations weren’t made public. In 2017 Archbishop Welby admitted he had known since 2013 and the independent Makin Review found he could and should have reported Smyth to the police then. Instead, Smyth was able to move to South Africa, effectively enabling him to commit further abuse.
Graham, whose years of persistence ultimately led to the Makin Review, said that had Welby apologised to him in 2017, it would have prevented years of anguish:
“If he had, early on, looked me in the eye and said,’ I just messed up. I was busy. I assumed other people were dealing with it wrongly. This is what I knew. This is what I did. It wasn't enough. I accept it. I'm sorry.’ If he had done that, I would have forgiven him and we would have moved on.
“But his behaviour since that has been remarkably cruel and distant. There's a parable about the Good Samaritan walking by on the other side, and for seven years he has walked past us. I find that very difficult to understand and very difficult to forgive.”
Graham was speaking as Archbishop Welby is being strongly criticised by victims after giving what they describe as a “tone deaf” and “frivolous” speech with no remorse for their suffering.
Speaking in the House of Lords for the first time since resigning a month ago, he told peers that the situation "whether one is personally responsible or not, must require a head to roll. And in this case, there is only one head that rolls well enough".
Graham told Premier the speech was insulting and afforded no respect to those who have suffered dreadful abuse:
“I was just staggered at the tone and frivolity of it. He could have quietly, humbly retired, disappeared off into the sunset with apologies, and it's ended up the story is all about him again, I just cannot believe how badly judged that was.”
Many of Smyth’s victims have struggled to rebuild their lives. Some have attempted suicide, two have died and many have struggled with severe mental health problems. Graham said the archbishop seems oblivious to their suffering:
“It is not something to be joking about," Graham added. "It is not something to be frivolous about. It's very serious. It's very serious for victims. And I just don't think he thought for a nanosecond, how is this going to sound to victims who are listening? And it was triggering. We get angry, we get distressed by things that jar. And boy, did that jar.”
Rather than referencing victims, during his speech Archbishop Welby, whose last day in post is 6 January, asked for pity for his “poor diary secretary” who will have to reschedule plans for the next year.
“If you want to make God laugh, make plans," Welby said. "Well, on that basis, next year I will be causing God more hilarity than anyone else for many years because the plans for next year were very detailed and extensive.”
Graham told Premier that victims feel particularly let down by the archbishop because “while he is not our abuser, his contact with Smyth is woven through this story, and his answer in the House of Lords was mealy-mouthed, it skirted around the subject. He seems incapable of saying, ‘Yes, I should have done more. Yes, I had a moral and personal responsibility.’ He just seems incapable of accepting that.
“We are troublemakers. We cause them problems, and that's all we are. They fail to see us as damaged individuals who need care and attention, and all we ask for is people to tell the truth and a bit of honesty.”