Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has his right to officiate as a priest REVOKED over links to case of QC probed over abusing boys – leaving him ‘bewildered and dismayed’
- Lord Carey is no longer authorised to minister, the Church of England said
- Move comes amid probe into John Smyth QC, who is accused of abusing boys
- No allegations of abuse has been made against Lord Carey
Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has said he is ‘bewildered and dismayed’ after his permission to officiate as a priest was withdrawn.
Lord Carey is no longer authorised to minister within his diocese, the Church of England said, after new information emerged in relation to a review being carried out into a barrister who was accused of abusing boys.
There has been no allegation of abuse made against Lord Carey.
An independent inquiry was announced last year into the church’s handling of allegations against the late John Smyth QC, who allegedly abused boys at Christian camps.
Police had been planning on questioning Mr Smyth when he died in South Africa in 2018 at the age of 77. Mr Smyth was alleged to have beaten children in the 1970s and 1980s while he was a leader at the Iwerne Trust camps.
Lord Carey is no longer authorised to minister within his diocese, the Church of England said, after new information emerged in relation to a review being carried out into a barrister who was accused of abusing boys
A spokesman for the Diocese of Oxford said that in the course of the review ‘new information has come to light regarding Lord Carey, which has been passed to the National Safeguarding Team for immediate attention’.
The spokesman added: ‘Lord Carey’s PTO (permission to officiate) was revoked by the Bishop of Oxford on Wednesday 17 June. Lord Carey is currently unauthorised to undertake any form of ministry in the Diocese until further notice.’
In a statement to Channel Four News, Lord Carey said: ‘I am bewildered and dismayed to receive the news a short time ago that due to concerns being raised during the review of John Smyth QC, I have had my PTO, my Permission to Officiate, revoked.
‘I have been given no information on the nature of these concerns and have no memory of meeting Mr Smyth.’
An independent inquiry was announced last year into the church’s handling of allegations against the late John Smyth QC, who allegedly abused boys at Christian camps
Lord Carey giving evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Lord Carey had previously had his PTO revoked after an independent report found that he had ‘colluded [with convicted abuser Peter Ball] rather than seeking to help those harmed’.
He resigned from his post as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Oxford in 2017 but PTO was returned to him the following year, allowing him to preach at his church – on condition no additional concerns came to light.
Ball was imprisoned in 2015 for sexually abusing 18 young men over 30 years. He was released in February 2017 after serving half his sentence.
Lord Carey resigned as honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Oxford in 2017 after an inquiry found he delayed a ‘proper investigation’ into Ball’s crimes for two decades by failing to pass information to police.
Lord Carey told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse that Ball’s victims had ‘fallen into the trap’ of a ‘wicked’ and ‘deluded’ man who abused his position to ‘influence them wrongly’.