Pressure remains on the Archbishop of Canterbury to step down over personal failings in how he handled knowledge of horrific abuse perpetrated by the late QC John Smyth. 

Accusing the Church of England of a "cover-up", the Makin Review published last week also pointed the finger at Archbishop Justin Welby over his failure to report Smyth's abuse to the police after he became aware of it in 2013. 

Welby has apologised for his response and for failing to meet victims soon enough, but has resisted calls to resign. 

The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, is the most high profile figure in the Church of England to call for his resignation, telling the BBC that his position has become "untenable". 

"I think that it's very hard for the church, as the national, established church, to continue to have a moral voice in any way, shape or form in our nation, when we cannot get our own house in order with regard to something as critically important [as abuse]," she told the BBC.

Smyth victim Andrew Morse told the Guardian that Welby's resignation "would be a positive step in a very bleak situation that has existed ever since Smyth started beating me and my friends more than 40 years ago". 

Over 11,000 people have signed a petition launched by members of the Church of England General Synod demanding Welby's resignation.

"Alongside other concerns, the report highlights the particular responsibility of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for these failures. He 'held a personal and moral responsibility to pursue this further, whatever the policies at play at the time required' which he failed to fulfil," the petition reads. 

"Given his role in allowing abuse to continue, we believe that his continuing as the Archbishop of Canterbury is no longer tenable.

"We must see change, for the sake of survivors, for the protection of the vulnerable, and for the good of the Church—and we share this determination across our traditions.

"With sadness we do not think there is any alternative to his immediate resignation if the process of change and healing is to start now."

The petition is co-sponsored by theologian and Archbishops' Council member, Dr Ian Paul, Save the Parish founder Rev Marcus Walker, and London vicar Rev Robert Thompson. 

The Dean of Chapel at King's College Cambridge and former canon of Durham Cathedral, Dr Stephen Cherry, has added his voice to calls for Welby's resignation, saying the Archbishop had lost the "trust and confidence" of the Church of England. 

"I think he really needs to now tender his resignation and allow there to be significant change," he said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 

"There are circumstances in which something happens whereby a person in a position of prominent leadership essentially loses the trust and the confidence and the capacity to do that really wonderful thing that someone like an Archbishop does, which is represent everyone at a certain moment, publicly.

"And the pain in the victim community and the pain of not listening to people and not responding to people who are profoundly hurt by those in positions of power means that this is no longer a person who can carry the representative role of that office.

"That's my strongest thought today."