Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has quit the Church of England after it emerged he ‘let a child abuser return to priesthood’.
Lord Carey penned a letter announcing his resignation earlier this month amid mounting pressure over a sexual abuse case in relation to ex-priest David Tudor.
Tudor was banned from the ministry for life this year as he admitted what the church described as serious sexual abuse involving two girls aged 15 and 16.
He had been suspended from the ministry decades earlier in 1988 having confessed, according to a tribunal document, to having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met when she was a pupil at a school where he was chaplain.
But according to a BBC investigation, Tudor’s return to the church in 1994 was aided by the then-archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey.
In 1993, Lord Carey agreed that Tudor could come back under supervision the following year, the BBC reported.
Though this was done ‘with some trepidation’, the Church of England said.
The 89-year-old Carey made reference to his age when announcing his decision to stand down.
Tudor’s return to the church in 1994 was reportedly aided by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey (pictured)
The Bishop of Newcastle has criticised the ‘old boys club’ element of the Church of England ministry
In a letter sent to the Diocese of Oxford on December 4, he stated: ‘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 (wife) Eileen whose faithfulness and support has been outstanding.’
Lord Carey had told the BBC he did not remember Tudor’s name.
Meeting minutes mention him ‘advocating for’ Tudor, mentioning that a diocese had been ‘made to take’ the disgraced priest.
Documents leaked also show he agreed to remove Tudor’s name from the central list of clergy who had been subject to disciplinary action.
The Church acknowledged Tudor should have received a life-time ban and said: ‘We recognise these procedures were neither sufficient nor survivor-focused, and that very different decisions would have been made today.’
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned (pictured during final speech) after an internal report into his handling of the John Smyth abuse case was made public
The news comes as the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured) has also faced calls to resign over his handling of the Tudor case
The news comes as the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has also faced – but so far resisted – calls to resign over his handling of the Tudor case.
Mr Cottrell knew that Tudor had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim and also been barred by the Church from being alone with children, according to the BBC.
And the scrutiny also comes at a time when the Church is already embroiled in more public-facing controversy, after the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury over his own handling of historical abuse cases.
Justin Welby is due to step down from his role as Archbishop of Canterbury in the New Year, with the Archbishop of York set to assume temporary charge of the Church of England.
Lord Carey served as archbishop of Canterbury from 1991-2002 and during his period in office took part in the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and became the first archbishop to ordain women to the priesthood.
The Church of England has been contacted for comment.