Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby "mustn't be allowed to go quietly" amid calls for him to resign over the failure to act on the John Smyth abuse scandal, political commentator Carole Malone has demanded on GB News.
The Makin Review, released last week, concluded that Welby did not act rigorously enough about reports of John Smyth's abuse of more than 100 young boys and men.
In response to the allegation, Welby has claimed that he had "no idea or suspicion" of the abuse before 2013.
The review stated: "It is the opinion of the reviewers that it was unlikely that Justin Welby would have had no knowledge of the concerns regarding John Smyth in the 1980s in the UK."
Carole Malone hit out at the Archbishop amid calls for him to resign
PA / GB News
Speaking to GB News, broadcaster and commentator Carole Malone said there is "no question" that Welby has to resign, and if he doesn't, he should instead be sacked.
Malone fumed: "There's no question, of course he has to go. He's got to. And if he doesn't go, he's got to be sacked.
"And the one person who can get rid of him is the King."
Criticising the case of John Smyth, who died before being brought to justice, Malone claimed that there needs to be a "big noise about getting rid of him" and he "cannot be allowed to go quietly".
Justin Welby is facing calls to quit after his failure to act on concerns about sexual abuser John Smyth
PAMalone told GB News: "People do terrible things, and then they're allowed just to slope off into the distance - that must not happen.
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"There must be a big noise about getting rid of him. John Smyth was the most prolific child abuser that's ever been associated with the Church of England."
Highlighting the horror of Smyth's crimes, Malone stressed that she is "not buying" that Welby was unaware of the level of abuse happening within the church.
Malone told GB News: "Some of those boys were tortured in the most horrific way by Smyth. There was a group of eight of them, between eight of them, they had 14,000 whip strokes from this guy over a period of years.
"For Welby to say he didn't know about it till 2013, I'm not buying that because this was being talked about as early as 1981. Reports were being written about Smyth back in 1981, and they were circulating in the hierarchy of the church."
Malone told GB News that Welby should 'not be allowed to go quietly' following the revelation
GB News
Affirming her call for Welby to resign, Malone continued: He was in that hierarchy, this 40 year covert cover up.
"He's been in the thick of it, and he didn't do anything. He should be kicked out of the church right now."
In response to allegations, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said: "I recognise the courage of those victims, including those related to John Smyth, who have come forward and relived their trauma through contributing to this review.
"I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2012. Nevertheless, the review is clear that I personally failed to ensure that after disclosure in 2013, the awful tragedy was energetically investigated.
"Since that time, the way in which the Church of England engages with victims survivors has changed beyond recognition."
