A former leader of the Church of England has resigned as a priest amid allegations that he mishandled the case of a priest accused of sexual misconduct.
George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, resigned after a BBC investigation revealed that he allowed a priest who had been expelled over sexual abuse allegations to return to the priesthood.
His resignation letter, sent Dec. 4, said he had held public office since 1962 and was 90 years old, but the letter did not mention the investigation.
In 1994, Mr Carey agreed to allow the Tudor priest to return to work at the church after he was suspended for five years for allegedly assaulting a teenage girl, the BBC reported.
The BBC reports that documents suggest Mr Carey insisted the Tudor king take up a post in the diocese.
In his resignation letter, Carey said:
“I am now 90 years old and have been active in the ministry since my ordination as a deacon in 1962 and my ordination as a priest in 1963. It was a privilege to serve in the Diocese of Wells, Canterbury and finally Oxford.”
Carey's resignation comes after another senior clergyman who was set to become interim head of the Church of England faced calls to resign over his handling of the Tudor incident. Ta.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, refused to allow Mr Tudor to remain in office despite being banned by the church from spending time alone with his children and knowing he had paid compensation to one of his accusers. It is reported that permission was granted.
Tudor was permanently banned from the department in October after admitting to having sexual relationships with two teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, in the 1980s.
Mr Cottrell will take over as spiritual head of the church next month from Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who resigned in November over his handling of separate sexual abuse allegations.
BBC reported Mr Cottrell said he “deeply regrets” that action was not taken sooner but said the situation had “taken over”. He said there was no legal basis for taking alternative measures, the broadcaster said.
The paper said Carey told the BBC she did not remember Mr Tudor's name.
Commenting on the Tudor case, the Church said: “We recognize that these procedures were not adequate or focused on survivors, and that a very different decision would have been reached today.'' said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the World Anglican Church, which has 85 million members in 165 countries. The church has been torn apart by vastly different views on issues such as gay rights and the place of women in the church.
The Associated Press and Newspapers Association contributed to this report
