Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has resigned from his position as a Church of England priest after it was revealed that he interceded for a priest accused of sexual abuse to return to ministry. The investigation, carried out by the BBC, revealed that Carey advocated for the reinstatement of David Tudor, who had been suspended for five years in the 1980s for abusing several teenagers.
According to the news network, Carey allowed Tudor to return to practice under supervision in 1993, when he was still archbishop of Canterbury, a decision that the Anglican Church itself now recognizes as “deeply wrong.” Leaked documents show that Carey not only endorsed Tudor, but also agreed to remove his name from the central list of disciplined clergywhich facilitated his return to ecclesiastical functions.
In fact, in the records of a church meeting of the time, it is mentioned that Carey “advocated for” Tudor and that a diocese was “forced to accept” the disgraced priest. This, according to the investigation, contributed to Tudor’s reinstatement, despite the serious accusations against him.
Tudor was finally dismissed in October of this year after admitting to having committed “inappropriate sexual conduct.” For decades, he carried out his pastoral work with restrictions imposed by the Church, which He was prohibited from being alone with minors.. However, the investigation suggests that these measures were insufficient and did not focus on protecting victims.
In his resignation letter, dated December 4, Carey said that “it has been an honor to serve in the various dioceses for more than 60 years.” At 89 years old, announced his final retirementending an ecclesiastical career that began in 1962. “I am in my ninth decade now and have been active in ministry since 1962, when I was ordained deacon and then priest in 1963,” he wrote.
This scandal has increased pressure on Stephen Cottrell, current archbishop of York, who is also implicated in the case. The investigation revealed that since 2010, when Cottrell took over as Bishop of Chelmsford, he was aware of restrictions placed on Tudor and payments made to an alleged victim. However, Tudor He continued to practice and was named honorary canon from Chelmsford Cathedral.
Cottrell apologized profusely for the lack of early action, arguing that he inherited a complex situation with no clear legal basis for action at the time. «I am deeply sorry for not having acted sooner.“Acknowledged Cottrell, who defended himself by saying that legal options were limited. However, victims have criticized his response, calling it insensitive and lacking compassion. One of the victims, Rachel Ford, told the BBC that Tudor was »very prone to inappropriate touching«, and considered that Cottrell’s response showed »a complete lack of empathy towards his victims«.
Carey’s resignation comes shortly after the resignation of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who left office last month amid another controversy over his handling of another sexual abuse case. During his tenure, was accused of not acting firmly in multiple cases of abuse reported within the Church of England.
For example, he was singled out for failing to implement effective disciplinary measures against clergy accused of sexual misconduct, leading several victims to report a culture of cover-up and disinterest. Investigations revealed systematic failures in protection protocolsas well as prolonged delays in institutional response. “I recognize that the Church seriously failed in its duty to care for the most vulnerable and I am deeply sorry,” Welby said in a public statement before his resignation.
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