Sarah Mullally says Church of England has ‘fallen tragically short’ after predecessor resigned over significant failings

The new archbishop of Canterbury has pledged to rebuild trust and confidence in the way the Church of England deals with the abuse of children and vulnerable adults, saying that in the past it has “fallen tragically short”.

Sarah Mullally told a meeting of the C of E’s ruling body, the General Synod, that “proper independence” would be central to the way the church dealt with allegations of abuse on her watch as archbishop. The C of E has been criticised for dealing with allegations of abuse, and complaints about the handling of such allegations, internally.