The Church of England's interim head Archbishop Stephen Cottrell on Monday pledged better systems to prevent abuse within the Church, acknowledging the damage caused by safeguarding failures that forced former leader Justin Welby to resign last year.

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, interim head of the Church of England, has vowed to improve safeguarding systems to prevent abuse. This follows the resignation of former leader Justin Welby due to an abuse cover-up scandal.

The Church’s General Synod gathered on Monday for the first time since the resignation of Justin Welby following safeguarding failures.

The Church of England’s elected governing body will begin a week-long meeting on Monday, after an “unprecedented crisis” triggered by a number of sexual abuse scandals. The London meeting comes a month after Justin Welby stepped down as Archbishop of Canterbury,