‘Not good enough!’ Justin Welby’s ‘disastrous legacy’ torn apart by vicar in brutal verdict of tenure

While acknowledging some positive aspects of Welby's leadership, Rev Kuhrt told GB News that the archbishop's handling of safeguarding issues had been catastrophic.

"His major legacy, I'm afraid, is the disastrous handling of safeguarding," Rev Kuhrt said. "He has made a lot of statements which have been fine sounding, but that is not what we need. We need action."

Welby's resignation came after the publication of the independent Makin Review in November, which examined the Church's handling of abuse allegations against John Smyth.

The review found that Smyth, described as the Church's most prolific serial abuser, might have been brought to justice had Welby formally reported allegations to police in 2013.

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Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men to traumatic attacks across five decades in the UK and Africa.

He died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Police, having never been brought to justice.

Despite his criticism of safeguarding failures, Rev Kuhrt acknowledged there had been positive aspects to Welby's leadership.

"When he was appointed, there was a lot of enthusiasm because he was someone who was seen as being able to give quite a convincing witness to the Christian faith," he said.

The vicar praised Welby's personal approach to difficult topics.

"When he's spoken personally about loss in his own life, bereavement, things like that, he's done really well," Rev Kuhrt told GB News.

"In terms of actually his witness to his Christian faith, he's done a lot of things that have been very admirable," he added.

Rev Kuhrt reserved his strongest criticism for Welby's specific handling of the John Smyth case.

"Particularly over John Smyth and the lack of tenacity in following that up when he did know quite a lot about him, certainly enough to have needed quite a lot of energy in following that up and he failed to do so," he said.

The vicar expressed disbelief at Welby's apparent lack of urgency in pursuing the matter with authorities.

"I find it remarkable he didn't feel more of a need to bang the police's door down," Rev Kuhrt told GB News.