Abuse within the Church of England is a “problem across the Church”, its head of safeguarding has said, after the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned following a damning report which revealed a cover-up spanning decades.

It comes as victims of John Smyth, considered the most prolific abuser associated with the Church, have called for further resignations from senior clergy involved in the scandal.

Justin Welby announced on Tuesday he was stepping down after an independent review concluded Smyth could have faced justice if he had formally reported him to police more than a decade ago.

The former lawyer died aged 75 in Cape Town in August 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police.

Over five decades, more than 100 boys and young men were physically, sexually and psychologically abused in the UK and Africa by Smyth, a secular reader who ran Christian summer camps.

Mr Welby was informed of Smyth’s abuse in 2013, months after he was installed as Archbishop of Canterbury, and has since said he was told the police and local authorities had been informed.

Neither was found to be the case, but the review found it was “reasonable to conclude” that Mr Welby had been assured these steps had been taken.

After Mr Welby’s resignation, Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s chief safeguarding officer, told Sky News’ Politics Hub that the Church had to “admit there was a problem” over abuse, the Church and its response.

She said: “This problem of abuse in the Church is a problem for the whole Church. And therefore, this must be a response from the whole Church.

“It’s a question of culture, it’s a question of leadership, it’s a question of theology.

“It is very clear that we failed in allowing this abuse to happen and allowing it to be covered up.”

She said she believed there was “a way forward” for the Church and that change could involve bringing in experts on governance, culture change, legal aspects and privacy data.

Smyth survivors welcomed Mr Welby’s departure and called for further resignations within the Church of those complicit in covering up decades of abuse.

Mark Stibbe, a former vicar and author, told Channel 4 News he believed Mr Welby had “done the right thing” and that he and other survivors had been calling for his resignation for years.

He said: “I applaud Justin Welby for his resignation, but I think what the survivors group would like is more resignations, because that means more accountability, people taking responsibility for keeping the silence when they should have spoken. »

Asked whether police should check whether people were “complicit in a cover-up”, Mr Stibbe replied: “Yes, if there are senior clergy who have broken the law, then they must be called to account for it.

“But I think at a very fundamental level we are asking for two things: we are asking for resignations and we are asking for reforms.”

Another survivor, Richard Gittins, said bishops “who kept these stories to themselves” should now face questioning, adding that the archbishop’s resignation did not make up for years of abuse by Smyth and the “cover-up” that followed.

Of Mr Welby’s resignation, Mr Gittins told Sky News: “So he has stepped away, so that other people can answer the questions that need to be asked of them, particularly the bishops.

“Although he is the highest ranking person in the Church, he is not primarily responsible for the cover-up.

“So I think it’s time now to focus attention on other bishops who have kept these stories to themselves.”

Andrew Morse, who said he was beaten after prayer by Smyth as a child between 1978 and 1982, told the Telegraph he thought Mr Welby’s resignation was “brave” and hoped he would “find some peace” in this decision.

Mr Morse added that it would “bring some measure of closure” to the victims, and said: “Clearly he is just the leader and there are countless other Anglican clergy who also bear responsibility.

“But I think by taking this step, he’s setting an example for them, whether they follow him or not.”

Hours before the archbishop announced his resignation, Mr Morse told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that Smyth’s abuse had led him to attempt suicide.

When Mr Welby resigns he will be replaced by the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.

With more than 100 bishops in the Church of England, those who could succeed him include Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York; and Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Welby said he was committed to continuing in his role and the exact timing of his departure would be decided at a later date.

He added that his decision to resign was made “with sadness towards all victims and survivors of abuse” and that in recent days his “deep and long-standing sense of shame” regarding the historic failures to safeguard the The Church had been “renewed”. .

Mr Welby is due to preach at a Ukrainian memorial service at Canterbury Cathedral on November 23 and deliver a speech on housing at the annual Theos conference in central London later this month, as well as deliver his traditional sermon of Christmas Day in the same cathedral.

Smyth died aged 75 in Cape Town in August 2018 and “was never brought to justice for the abuse”, Makin Review said.