License revoked for former Archbishop of Canterbury
A FORMER Archbishop of Canterbury has had his license to lead church services revoked.
Lord Carey, who lives in Berkshire and has regularly visited churches across the borough, had his status removed by the Diocese of Oxford.
It relates to an independent review into the Church of England’s handling of allegations against the late John Smyth QC.
Smyth was a former chairman of the Iwerne Trust, which ran holiday camps for boys at English public schools, and is accused of beating boys who were in his care during the 1970s. The charity had alleged links with Lord Carey.
In a statement, the Diocese said: “In the course of that review, new information has come to light regarding Lord Carey, which has been passed to the National Safeguarding Team for immediate attention as per the agreed Terms of Reference for the review.
“A Core Group was formed, according to House of Bishops Guidance, and it advised the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, to withdraw Lord Carey’s Permission to Officiate (PTO) while the matter is investigated.”
The PTO was revoked onWednesday, June 17 – a decision made by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft.
The Diocese added: “While the investigation and review are ongoing, we will not be commenting further on this matter.
“However, for the avoidance of doubt, we wish to make clear that the new information received relates only to the review currently underway, and that there has not been an allegation of abuse made against Lord Carey.”
It is the second time in recent years that Lord Carey has had to stop preaching. In 2017, he stood down from his role of assistant bishop in the diocese following an investigation into Peter Ball.
Lord Carey accepted the criticisms made of him at the time and apologised to the victims of Peter Ball.
In 2018, the Diocese granted him permission to help lead worship at his church, conditional on no further concerns coming to light. Lord Careywas subject to a fresh DBS check and appropriate safeguarding training.