Evangelical activist or failed reformer? The triumphs and trials of Justin Welby

He brought down predatory payday lenders, turbocharged evangelism and even welcomed refugees to live with him at Lambeth Palace. But unresolved issues of sexuality and safeguarding dogged Welby throughout his tenure. Tim Wyatt looks at the highs and lows of Justin Welby’s time as Archbishop of Canterbury 

Justin Welby has formally laid down his crozier, ending his nearly 12-year stint as Archbishop of Canterbury.

His time in office will be forever marked by how it ended after he became the first archbishop to resign in disgrace, following a critical report over a safeguarding scandal. But his decade and more in office was hugely eventful and influential long before the John Smyth abuse story.

Welby entered Lambeth Palace as the 105^th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013. He arrived…