Britain’s most senior churchman, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has prompted outrage in Britain after he appeared to suggest in an interview that Prince Andrew, who recently settled a sex-abuse case for millions of dollars, should get a break from public criticism and that people should be open to forgiving him in accordance with Christian principles.
In an extraordinary interview just days before the kickoff of the queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Welby, who has contracted coronavirus and is going to miss officiating at a key church service Friday, initially said that he wouldn’t comment on the specifics of Andrew’s case—but then allowed himself to be drawn into doing just that.
During the interview with Tom Bradby on ITV, Bradby asked the prelate if it was appropriate for Queen Elizabeth to have been escorted to her seat by Andrew when she attended a service of remembrance for her late husband.
Welby, 66, said: “At a big public occasion, the queen is fully entitled to have one of her children supporting her. Secondly, forgiveness really does matter. I think we have become a very, very unforgiving society. There’s a difference between consequences and forgiveness.”
Bradby pointed out that there was massive anger toward Andrew over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, but Welby replied: “With Prince Andrew, I think we all have to step back a bit. He is seeking to make amends and I think that’s a very good thing.”
Welby did not give any examples of how Andrew was seeking to make amends or explain why he believed this was the case.
On Feb. 15, Andrew entered an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, a victim of the disgraced U.S. financier who accused the royal of raping her three times when she was 17. It is said the price of the duke’s settlement agreement ran as high as $14 million, with suggestions the monarch was partially footing the bill.
Welby did go on to say that he was not presuming to instruct people how to respond, and said that the “issues of the past in the area of abuse are intensely personal and private for so many” adding, “It’s not surprising there’s very deep feelings indeed.”
However he then appeared to refer to Andrew again when he said: “I think for all of us, one of the ways that we celebrate when we come together is in learning to be a more open and forgiving society.”
A spokesperson for the archbishop was later forced to issue a statement saying that he was not referring specifically to the Duke of York when he made the comments about becoming “a more forgiving society” but was making “a broader point about the kind of society that he hopes the Platinum Jubilee inspires us to be.”
Welby himself then issued an additional statement saying: “In tonight’s interview with ITV News I was asked a question about forgiveness, and I said that there is a difference between consequences and forgiveness. Both are essential elements of the Christian understanding of justice, mercy and reconciliation.
“I also made the broader point that I hope we can become a more forgiving society. These are complex issues that are difficult to address in a short media interview and I hope they do not distract from this week’s joyful celebration of her majesty the queen’s platinum jubilee.”
