Former Archbishop of Canterbury Carey quits as priest

Lord Carey was named this month in an investigation into the disgraced priest David Tudor, who was found to have been barred by the Church from being alone with children and paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

In 1989, Tudor was banned from ministry for sexual misconduct by a Church tribunal but was allowed to return to ministry after five years.

When he was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey agreed that Tudor could come back under supervision the following year.

This was done “with some trepidation”, the Church told the BBC.

Lord Carey told the investigation that he did not remember Tudor’s name.

Tudor was struck off two months ago after he admitted historical sex abuse allegations relating to two girls.

In his resignation letter, sent on 4 December, Lord Carey wrote: “I wish to surrender my Permission to Officiate.

“I am in my ninetieth year now and have been in active ministry since 1962 when I was made Deacon and then Priested in 1963.

“It has been an honour to serve in the dioceses of London, Southwell, Durham, Bristol, Bath and Wells, Canterbury and finally Oxford.

“I give thanks to God for his enduring faithfulness but want to recognise the remarkable contribution of Eileen whose faithfulness and support has been outstanding.”

Lord Carey was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002.

The BBC’s investigation also found that Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, let Tudor remain in post despite knowing about his case.

Mr Cottrell – who is is weeks away from taking charge of the Church of England following the resignation of another Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby – has resisted calls to resign.

He said he was “deeply sorry” that action had not been taken earlier but that he had “inherited” the situation. There were no legal grounds to take alternative action, he added.

Mr Welby stepped down last month over his management of a separate sex abuse case.