The Church of England is to review its decision to allow George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, to resume an official church role following his evidence at the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) last week and criticism from survivors.

Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford who issued Lord Carey with a “permission to officiate” (PTO) earlier this year, said: “We recognise that there will be renewed questions concerning Lord Carey’s permission to officiate following the IICSA hearings this week and I am sorry that my response to Lord Carey’s request for PTO in February this year caused additional distress to some survivors of abuse.”



Carey offered “uncritical support” for a bishop accused of sexual abuse in the 1990s, the inquiry heard.

Carey said that, with 25 years of hindsight, he should not have been so generous in his views of Peter Ball, the former bishop of Lewes and then Gloucester, who was jailed in 2015 for sexually abusing vulnerable young men.

Carey, who said he was “under great pressure” from Ball’s supporters to believe his protestations of innocence, was archbishop of Canterbury at the time of Ball’s arrest in December 1992, and his acceptance of a police caution the following year. Ball resigned as a bishop but was allowed to continue officiating in the Church of England.

Ball did not face a criminal trial for more than 20 years, by which time one of his victims had killed himself. The C of E has been accused of collusion and a cover-up in an attempt to protect its reputation.

Carey stepped down as an honorary assistant bishop after an independent review of the C of E’s handling of the case, published last year.

But, in February, he was allowed to resume an official role in the C of E. The PTO was granted without any consultation with the church’s national safeguarding team. Officials at Church House, the C of E headquarters, were dismayed at the decision.

In his statement following five days of evidence at IICSA concerning the Ball case, Croft said: “Along with many others, I am sorry and ashamed to hear again this week of the abuse perpetrated by Peter Ball, and the way in which the Church of England failed to respond to the survivors over such a long period of time and at the most senior level. The whole church needs to respond to what has been revealed with repentance, improved practice and a continued change of culture.

“There were no legal grounds for me to deny Lord Carey’s request for PTO in February this year as he was not subject to a disciplinary process, and there has never been any suggestion that he is himself a risk to children, young people or vulnerable adults.

“Lord Carey’s PTO remains in place at this time, providing him with a safe space to exercise his ministry. However, as part of the Church of England’s ongoing response to IICSA, there will now be a process of review and support offered to Lord Carey by the diocese of Oxford together with the national safeguarding team.”

The Guardian understands that Croft will meet Carey in the coming weeks to review the former archbishop’s evidence at IICSA and how it affects his ministry.

The PTO was issued for an indefinite period, but it can be withdrawn any time at the bishop’s discretion. The diocese is understood to be keen to listen to criticisms raised by abuse survivors over Carey being allowed to officiate.

At the inquiry, Carey admitted that a series of letters sent to him after Ball’s arrest that alleged improper behaviour by the bishop should have been passed to police.

“Looking back now, what is described in these letters is appalling behaviour by a bishop. It’s very clear now that we should have handed those letters over,” he said.

The inquiry heard that after Ball’s arrest, Carey wrote to the bishop saying: “Peter, I want you to know you are in my heart and constantly in my prayers. You need to know further that the matter does not diminish my admiration for you or my determination to keep you on the episcopal bench.”

Fiona Scolding QC, the senior counsel to the inquiry, said Carey’s support for Ball had been “uncritical”.