Justin Welby seeing psychiatrist to help overcome 'failure' in church sex abuse scandal

Smyth, who died in 2018 aged 75 without facing justice, subjected over 100 boys and young men to physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks across five decades.

"I've been seeing a psychotherapist for a considerable period of time. And a psychiatrist. Very helpful,” the retired bishop admitted.

“It's not about saying, 'oh, it didn't matter,' or anything like that, quite the reverse – how does one live with such a failure?”

Mr Welby made the admission while speaking on Gyles Brandreth's Rosebud podcast.

During the same podcast interview, he appeared to dispute certain conclusions reached by Keith Makin, who authored the damning independent review into Smyth and the Church's failures.

The former archbishop acknowledged that he was "perceived not to have given enough priority to a group of victims," which he accepted was "absolutely correct."

However, Mr Welby contested the initial perception of events, stating: "The initial perception was that we'd not reported it to the police – in fact, it had been reported to the police."

Mr Welby has also claimed that the report's findings were incomplete, asserting that evidence emerged after the report's publication.

Keith Makin directly challenged this characterisation, clarifying that his report acknowledged the matter had been communicated to authorities but that Mr Welby had not pursued it beyond receiving assurances from the Ely diocese that police were investigating.

"My report makes the point that Bishop Welby knew of John Smyth, and it should have been the case that he should take more interest than a simple assurance," he stated.

"I concluded that Bishop Welby carried a personal and a moral responsibility to ensure that he pursued the matter."

Survivors of John Smyth's abuse have expressed scepticism about the sincerity of Mr Welby's contrition.

One victim, identified only as Graham, said: "The former Archbishop says he has turned to therapy after his 'safeguarding failure' but then spends the rest of the interview trying to project that he did nothing wrong, need not have resigned, and was subsequently exonerated."

Graham posed a direct challenge: "Will Justin Welby accept that John Smyth, his friend, was not found, stopped or brought to justice. Is that not a failure?"

Another survivor who reported abuse in 2013 offered a blunt assessment.

"No one should be too busy to deal with a safeguarding disclosure," they told The Telegraph.

Andrew Graystone, who advocates for survivors of church-related abuse, offered a pointed response to Welby's revelation about seeking therapeutic help.

"I hope that Justin Welby's therapists will help him to reflect on the experience of victims of abuse, and what it is about the theology and culture of the church that facilitates abuse and makes the church so resistant to transparency and repair," Mr Graystone said.

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