Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey resigns amid Church of England’s handling of sexual abuse case

The 89-year-old quit after the BBC contacted him about claims that he allowed a disgraced priest, who had been banned over sexual abuse allegations, to return to ministry.

In a resignation letter sent on December 4, 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.”

He continued: “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’s resignation follows the BBC investigation into David Tudor, a priest recently banned from ministry. Tudor admitted to historical sexual abuse allegations involving two girls. It was revealed that Tudor had been barred by the Church from being alone with children and had paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

The BBC investigation also found that the Archbishop of York had allowed Tudor to remain in his role despite being aware of the allegations. A spokesperson confirmed with the BBC that Lord Carey’s decision to step down was directly linked to the investigation.

Lord Carey, who has served in active ministry for over 60 years, was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002.