The newly unemployed Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby leads most of Wednesday’s front pages as he announced his departure following a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England found that Welby “could and should” have reported John Smyth’s abuse of boys and young men to police in 2013.

Fighting for space on the front pages this morning is the confirmation that Gary Lineker will step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of the season. Lineker confirmed he will leave the BBC altogether following the end of the 2026 World Cup. 

There is a dash of foreign politics on the newspaper’s front splashes this morning with several stories on President-elect Donald Trump.

‘Welby quits in shame’

‘Resignation came after pressure from bishops,’ reports The Metro.

The Metro says “Welby quits in shame” noting his resignation comes after criticism from bishops and victims as well as a petition for his resignation that was started by a member of the Church’s parliament. The petition gained 12,000 signatures. 

‘Welby says he has profound sense of shame over failures,’ reports the Mirror.

The Daily Mirror highlights Welby’s “sorrow” for the victims and the “profound sense of shame” he spoke about in his resignation letter. 

‘Church is in crisis as victims say other senior clergy must go,’ says the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail claims the resignation has thrown the Church into “crisis” and highlights comments from Smyth’s victims who have insisted Welby must not be a “sacrificial lamb” and other senior clergy must go.

‘Resignation was necessary to change the face of how the Church handles abuse case,’ writes The Times.  

The Times says Welby’s resignation is without precedent since the position of Archbishop of Canterbury was established 1,427 years ago. The paper notes senior colleagues of Welby’s have said his resignation was necessary to “change the face” of how the Church handles cases of abuse.

The newspaper editorials are united in their view that it was right for Welby to resign. 

• Read: Statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury

‘No choice’ ‘Finally’ & ‘Holy untenable’ some of the headlines for the tabloid editorials.

The Daily Express says “finally” whilst the Mirror says Welby was left with “no choice.” The Sun reports his potion had become “holy untenable.” 

‘No other archbishop has done this much damage since reformation,’ says one cleric via the Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph leader quotes one cleric saying “he could not think of an Archbishop who had caused such damage to the Church since the Reformation”, calling the comment a “damning epitaph” for Mr Welby.

‘Archbishop of York top contender to take role,’ says The Guardian.

The Guardian looks ahead at who could replace Welby with the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani at the top of the paper’s suggestions.

‘Candidate could also come from Ireland, Wales or Episcopal Church,’ notes the i.

The i newspaper says a candidate could also be drawn from the Episcopal Church, the Church of Ireland, or the Church in Wales.

‘Whoever replaces Welby mist focus on flock,’ says the Mail’s editorial.

The Mail’s editorial says whoever replaces Welby “must focus on the spiritual and pastoral needs of their flock”.

‘Lineker quits MOTD’

‘Lineker’s departure partly due frustration over his podcasting business,’ claims the i.

The i newspaper says Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day was partly due to “internal frustration” that his podcasting business was driving audiences away from the BBC. Under the new deal, the BBC will post an edition of his The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds. 

‘New deal will see BBC listeners get an ad-free version of Lineker’s podcast,’ says the Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph says that BBC listeners of The Rest is Football will get to experience an ad-free version but they will have to wait 48 hours after it’s already available online. 

‘MOTD presenter? Got anything less preachy,’ The Telegraph has a dig at Lineker’s activism.

The paper also looks at his departure through a political lens, noting Lineker’s activism, especially around human rights and immigration. The paper’s cartoon shows a meeting at a job centre. The caption reads: “Match of the Day presenter? Have you got anything less preachy, like Archbishop of Canterbury?”

‘Alex Scott could replace Lineker,’ claims the Mail.

The Mail looks ahead at who might replace Lineker on Match of the Day. The paper says BBC Sport is “already discussing” his job with the host of Football Focus, Alex Scott.

‘BBC want Chapman and Somers to share role, but Chapman has rejected idea,’ claims The Sun.

The Sun says the BBC want Mark Chapman and Kelly Somers to share the job – something Chapman has reportedly rejected.