Welby promises own sex-abuse inquiry

The Archbishop of Can­ter­bury has promised his own inquiry into sex abuse in the Church of England if the independent investigation launched by the Government does not consider it within six months.

Archbishop Justin Welby made the pledge during a private meeting with victims of clerical abuse at Lambeth Palace last week.

Chaired by Mrs Justice Lowell Goddard, the Home Office inquiry is predicted to take five years and a Lambeth Palace spokesman said the archbishop wanted the Church to be reviewed first. If that did not happen within six months, he would instigate an “independently-led past cases review”.

Last week, the Church of England’s General Synod approved a package of new safeguarding measures.