Archbishop forced to explain statement that Prince
Andrew ‘should be forgiven’
Nici de Wet
The Most
Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, has come under fire for saying
he thinks that disgraced royal Prince Andrew should be forgiven.
The head of
the Church of England told ITV News that he thinks it’s a “very good thing”
that the shamed royal is trying to make up for his role in the sordid Jeffrey
Epstein sex scandal which has dragged his family’s name through the mud.
The queen’s
second son was accused of having sex with one of his pal Jeffrey’s underage
sex-trafficking victims, Virginia Giuffre (then 17), in the early 2000s.
Giuffre
(now 38) sued the royal for sexual abuse last year and the case was settled out
of court earlier this year, with Andrew reportedly paying her £12 million
(about R235m) in a settlement deal.
“Forgiveness really does matter. I think we've become
a very, very unforgiving society,” said Welby, who officiated at Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018. “There's a difference between consequences
and forgiveness,” he added.
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
-
Archbishop of Canterbury
“Now with
Prince Andrew, I think we all have to step back a bit. He's seeking to make
amends and I think that's a very good thing.
“But you
can’t tell people how they’re to respond about this. And the issues of the past
in the area of abuse are so intensely personal and private for so many people.
It’s not surprising. There are very deep feelings, indeed.”
The
Archbishop defended the queen’s decision to walk with Andrew at the memorial
service of her late husband and his father, Prince Philip, at Westminster in
March, saying she was “fully entitled” to do so.
But he was
later forced to clarify his remarks after eyebrows were raised. In a personal
statement, he denied he was specifically referring to Andrew when he said
Britain must become a more forgiving society, but that he was making a “broader
point” about the country.
“In the
interview with ITV News, I was asked a question about forgiveness, and I said
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 don't distract from this week's joyful celebration of
Her Majesty the Queen's platinum jubilee.”
He was
quizzed about the rift between Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, to
which he responded, "It's sad when families are struggling, but what family
isn’t?
“Jesus
says, anyone who’s never sinned cast the first stone . . . I think if there’s
any family where the relationships are perfect, they’re entitled to judge, but
I'm not going to.”
Recent
reports have suggested the brothers, who fell out when Harry and his American
wife Meghan quit official royal duties in 2019, are working on healing their
rift. They've been having weekly video calls in an effort to settle their
differences before their grandmother’s platinum jubilee celebrations kick off
this month.
“The
brothers needed time for everything to settle down,” a source says. “The
family, including William, had been disappointed in the way Harry and Meghan
chose to leave the royal family. But there's a strong feeling that what
happened is in the past and that they've moved on.”
Sources:
dailymail.co.uk, mirror.co.uk
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