Against the background of the sexual abuse scandal in the Church of England and the subsequent resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Ukraine loses an important and influential lobbyist of its own interests in the United Kingdom in his person.
Source: Ukrainian News
The Guardian and Voice of America write about it.
Archbishop Justin Welby was forced to resign after an investigation found he as the head of the church had been “insufficiently curious” about allegations of child sexual abuse at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, in which, in particular, of Bishop Stephen Conway was accused.
At the same time, it is noted that the resignation of the head of the Anglican Church, Justin Welby, is the loss of an important ally of Ukraine. After all, Welby was one of those who constantly declared the need for comprehensive assistance to Ukraine in the war with russia. Also, the archbishop has personally visited Ukraine twice since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, in 2022 and 2024.
Justin Welby publicly stated that Ukraine is fighting for the "survival of the people" and compared the situation in the country to the struggle of Britain during the Second World War, calling for increased support for Ukrainians by Western countries.
"His visits were gestures that did not allow Britain to forget about the horrors of Russian aggression," religious expert Pavlo Smytsniuk, who specializes in issues of religious ethics and interreligious dialogue, said in a commentary for the Voice of America.
Welby regularly mentioned Ukraine in his public speeches, which supported the attention of the British to russian aggression and the need to counter the latter.