Reverend Michael Coren has called on "more people to be questioned" following the resignation of former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Welby stepped down from the role after mounting pressure surrounding his role in the John Smyth abuse scandal, following a review into the case.
The Makin Review, published last week, concluded that Welby "did not act rigorously enough" on reports of the abuse of more than 100 young boys and men at the hands of Smyth.
In his resignation letter, Welby admitted to feeling a "profound sense of shame" at the "historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England".
Reverend Coren said Justin Welby's resignation was the 'right thing to do'
PA / GB News
Speaking to GB News, Reverend Michael Coren said it was the "right thing" for Welby to resign, but it took him "long enough" to do so.
Coren said of Welby's resignation: "Yes, it was the right thing for him to resign, but it took him long enough to do so.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury, I'm sure, is actually a decent man, but he failed in particular ways and he resigned."
Weighing in on the investigation, Coren claimed that "more people should be questioned" about the scandal and should be "penalised" if any wrongdoing is discovered.
Justin Welby shared his resignation letter, where he admitting to feeling 'profound shame'
PACoren told GB News: "More people have to be questioned, exposed and maybe penalised for what they did.
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"So many people in the clergy and in congregations were speaking out - only one bishop, though, which I think is extremely relevant.
"Only one bishop had the courage to come forward, the Bishop of Newcastle, but this has been going on for a long time. People knew as early as the 1980s, and certainly by 2013 it was known, so there have to be more people involved."
Hitting out at the handling of the Smyth scandal, Coren stated that there is a "systemic problem" and questioned how the abuse was "allowed to continue" under the knowledge of church figures.
Coren explained: "What would be wrong would be to say, well, they've got their man now and it's all over. How did this abuse occur? How was it allowed to continue when other people knew about it?
Reverend Coren told GB News that 'more people must have been involved' following Welby's resignation
GB News
"Abuse occurs when there's power, when there are vulnerable people, and when other people do not speak out and say there is a crime occurring here and it must stop. And that's what happened here, people obviously knew and they did not stand up and be brave enough to say, no, enough."
Coren added: "There is a difference when it comes to the church committing abuse, because as horrific as it is anywhere when it comes to faith and church and membership of a religious organisation, people have absolute trust and faith.
"They assume that they'll be safe.
"And it would be terrible if we if people lost trust in the clergy and in the church. That's why the Archbishop had to resign."
