At York Minster on Christmas morning, the archbishop appeared to address criticism of the church directly.

He and 25 other Church of England bishops and archbishops have seats in the House of Lords and can vote on legislation.

In a statement on Friday, the archbishop said he wanted to "apologise wholeheartedly" for the hurt he had caused.

The archbishop said in his resignation statement a month ago he "must take personal and institutional responsibility" for how he responded when first told about the abuse.

Mr Welby intends to complete all official duties as archbishop by 6 January.