Church of England Leak Rekindles Horror of Preacher Who Targeted Boys in Zimbabwe
ZimNow International DeskThe Church of England is under fire after a major data breach exposed the private details of nearly 200 abuse survivors, reviving the scandal of John Smyth, the Anglican lay...
ZimNow International Desk
The Church of England is under fire after a major data breach exposed the private details of nearly 200 abuse survivors, reviving the scandal of John Smyth, the Anglican lay preacher accused of targeting boys in Zimbabwe.
Channel 4 News reported that names and email addresses of applicants to the Church’s redress scheme were mistakenly shared in an email, leaving survivors visible to one another. The Church confirmed late Tuesday it was “looking into the matter as a matter of urgency.”
The compensation scheme was launched earlier this year after a series of abuse revelations, including Smyth’s. A barrister and lay minister, Smyth fled Britain in the 1980s after being implicated in abuse and continued his church work in Zimbabwe from 1984 to 2001.
During that period, he allegedly subjected boys at holiday camps to vicious beatings. One Zimbabwean family has long claimed his abuse contributed to the unexplained death of their son, found naked in a swimming pool at one of Smyth’s camps.
The 2024 Makin Review concluded that senior clergy—including then-Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby—failed to act on reports of Smyth’s abuse. Welby resigned last November.
“This is a serious breach,” said Steve Reeves, director of Global Safeguarding. “Safeguarding simply isn’t in the DNA of the Church of England and that makes incidents like this way more likely.”
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