we have been getting reaction. i think my reaction is sadness. it is very sad when someone who is been valued has been terminated and it is sad we have come to this point where we have had to raise us so much pressure forjustin to resign. her reaction to that breaking story in this hour. in other news... the sound you hear is the ticking clock. we are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 celsius. the un secretary general — warns leaders at cop 29 — they have to act on climate change — with time running out. the un says israel has not done enough to meet the 30 day american deadline to improve the humanitarian situation in gaza which runs out today.

hello and welcome to bbc news. let's return to that breaking news. the archbishop of canterbury has announced his resignation. he'd come under mounting pressure over a report highlighting how he had failed to deal with a prolific abuser associated with the church of england. john smyth abused dozens of children and young men over a number of decades. senior figures in the anglican church said justin welby�*s position was untenable — because he'd failed to prevent smyth from carrying out more crimes after he'd first been told of the abuse. smyth died in south africa in 2018 without facing justice. in a statement, archbishop justin welby said — "when i was informed in 2013 and told that "police had been notified, i believed wrongly that "an appropriate resolution would follow. "it is very clear that i must take personal

"and institutional responsibility for the long "and retraumatising period between 2013 and 202a. "i hope this decision makes clear "how seriously the church of england understands the need "for change and our profound commitment to creating "a safer church. "as i step down i do so in sorrow with all victims "and survivors of abuse. "i believe that stepping aside "is in the best interests of the church of england, "which i dearly love and which i have been honoured to serve. a spokesperson for the prime minister said keir starmer respects the decision taken by the archbishop of canterbury. pointing to the previous comments of sir keir starmer reiterating the comments are horrific and since the prime minister respects the decision that has been taken and his thoughts remained first and foremost with all of the victims. in a moment we will speak to an advocate for the victims of church —based abuse first let's hear from reverend ian paul who had previously

organised a position calling forjustin welby to resign. i think my reaction overall is sadness. it is sad when someone who has been valued has been terminated and it is sad we have come to this point where we have had to raise us so much pressure forjustin to resign and certainly i think the cases for those of us who set up this petition, we are not at all intending to be judge and jury or to gain a scalp, this must be the first step towards a significant change, the kind of change the report was asking for it with the senior leadership in the church in this is not come about because anyone has been accusing orjudging, simply accusing or judging, simply because accusing orjudging, simply because ofjustin�*s own words. his words to for instance the bbc during thejimmy�*s siebel crisis when he said very clearly, when in organiser fails in safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable, those in charge, the leaders must take responsibility. last week with kathy newman with her

interview with channel 4 news he said i take full responsibility to her face, very striking that the deputy bishop for safeguarding then set i'm gratefulfor bishop for safeguarding then set i'm grateful for the apology ofjustin, but is that enough? 0urwords apology ofjustin, but is that enough? 0ur words enough? apology ofjustin, but is that enough? 0urwords enough? i think it is clear where it's on their own is not enough. 0ne think it is clear where it's on their own is not enough. one of their own is not enough. one of the sadness is about this whole episode, apart from the historic come the tragedy of the abuse. 0ne historic come the tragedy of the abuse. one thing i found challenging is listening to survivors again particularly mark who was on newsnight last night, and someone who i knew many years ago we were both academics at the same time, but mark having to relive and rehearses abuse in order to ask justin to do the right thing. and that is extremely painful. so i feel sad and i wish we had not gotten to this, but i'm glad we got to this point now and i hope that it means that we can begin to move forward. because there needs to be culture change in senior leadership. it has been made

very clear. and we can't see a way of that happening as long as just the remains way of that happening as long asjust the remains in power. jane resigned last year calling on the archbishop to resign calling on a separate issue and she explained to me what that was. i issue and she explained to me what that was.— what that was. i resigned because _ what that was. i resigned because of _ what that was. i resigned because of my concerns i what that was. i resigned - because of my concerns over the treatment of people under theology that said unity of all costs of the bishops had to work together and to be silent often and not protect the vulnerable. it is that unity of all costs we have seen over the last few days. no bishop apart from the very brave bishop of newcastle speaking out and saying what the rest of the general public, parliament and frankly the church have known. the archbishop needed to step down. what we are seeing, i fear, or right we have seen over the year is the abuse of power by those in power and an

uncomfortable and unhealthy attitude towards sex which has caused so many problems in so many areas and indeed is horrific abuse. that has now come to light, finally, this report was available five years ago and we have just sat on it and that is absolutely unacceptable. father alex frost vicar of st matthew's church in burnley had said the archbishop�*s position was untenable prior to his resignation. i spoke to him afterwards and this was his assessment. it’s this was his assessment. it's the riaht this was his assessment. it�*s the right decision, ijust wish it had come sooner. i think it would have been betterfor the well—being of the church if he had gone rather than having been pushed. there seem to be a desire to hang on at all costs. it is a very sad day but i think it is a positive day for the church.— think it is a positive day for the church. you had said that his position _ the church. you had said that

his position was _ the church. you had said that his position was untenable. l his position was untenable. this layout for people watching, why you would come to that conclusion. i watching, why you would come to that conclusion.— that conclusion. i come to you speaking _ that conclusion. i come to you speaking as — that conclusion. i come to you speaking as an _ that conclusion. i come to you speaking as an urban - that conclusion. i come to you speaking as an urban parish i speaking as an urban parish priest in burnley and ijust want to be a voice for hard—working christians in the church who get tarnished with this awful attack that we are all paedophiles and child abusers when actually the reality is, is that we are hard—working, grafting pistes ha rd—working, grafting pistes and hard—working, grafting pistes and clergy and christians who do wonderful work and this cloud that sits there, like a dark cloud —— priests, like a dark cloud —— priests, like a dark cloud —— priests, like a dark cloud because of the failure of the upper echelon to address safeguarding lance at our door when we are trying to take two steps forward, we take five steps back because we are tarnished with the same brush of our in far greater places than i am. of our in far greater places than i am—

of our in far greater places than i am. and speak to end grayson. — than i am. and speak to end grayson. an _ than i am. and speak to end grayson, an author- than i am. and speak to end grayson, an author and - than i am. and speak to end - grayson, an author and advocate of victims of church based abuse. thank you forjoining us here. we've had the resignation, your reaction to the events of today. it resignation, your reaction to the events of today.- the events of today. it was inevitable. _ the events of today. it was inevitable. the _ the events of today. it was inevitable. the archbishop i the events of today. it was - inevitable. the archbishop had lost the confidence of the other bishops and of quite a large number of church members and clergy. so it had to happen. my worry about this is that one of the things this demonstrates is that the church of england is ungovernable. —— ungovernable. there are two churches are effectively the churches are effectively the church at local level in towns and villages all across england which is doing fantastic work, sometimes chrome running the food bank or youth club were caring for people in need. and then there's this other church of england, the church of power and privilege at the highest

levels and of course the archbishop of canterbury was in the middle of that. that church of england has a culture of cover—up and secrecy. i meet day by day and week by week with survivors, victims of survivors —— victims and survivors —— victims and survivors of abuse from the church of england and 99 times of the hundred people say to me the abuse that i have suffered from the church through its processes and treatment of me is as bad as the original abuse that i suffered from the abuser. and archbishop has failed to make a difference in that. ., . ~' failed to make a difference in that. ., ., ~ ., , , that. you make it absolutely tellinu that. you make it absolutely telling point _ that. you make it absolutely telling point because - that. you make it absolutely telling point because i - that. you make it absolutely telling point because i was l telling point because i was listening to one of the victims who even last week when he was listening to justin who even last week when he was listening tojustin welby being interviewed by channel 4 and said, i'm not going to resign

for this, said, i'm not going to resign forthis, he said, i'm not going to resign for this, he was affronted by that and that is nearly a decade after those at the top knew about the extent of this abuse. it knew about the extent of this abuse. ., , ., , ., ~ ., abuse. it would be a mistake to think this is — abuse. it would be a mistake to think this is a _ abuse. it would be a mistake to think this is a historic _ think this is a historic problem that this is something that happened in the 1980s or even the core problem was what happened when the report went to the archbishop in 2013 and he failed to deal with it properly. this is an ongoing and systemic problem and i speak to people who suffered their abuse within the church in the last 18 months— three years and have found the church to have hounded in a damaging and re—abusing way and perhaps the greatest sadness and failing ofjustin welby is the failure to be able to correct that. to grasp it. but there is no particular sign that any successor will be able to do that differently. it is not

justin welby who is the problem so much as the culture at the top of the church. throwing one archbishop under the bus and then appointing another is not going to change that. i then appointing another is not going to change that.- going to change that. i was iioin to going to change that. i was going to come _ going to change that. i was going to come onto - going to change that. i was going to come onto exactlyi going to change that. i was - going to come onto exactly that point. he told our producer that church leaders must repent for their wealth for blind for us and we had other guests on the programme talking about the house of bishops —— willful blindness, those of the very typing silent after the absolutely damning report last week about the abuse with the exception of the bishop of newcastle. how difficult is it going to be then to change the culture in the church? it seems to me that _ culture in the church? it seems to m