Former Archbishop of Canterbury says treatment over Smyth allegations has been 'unjust'

Lord Carey pictured giving evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). IICSA

Lord Carey says he has been treated "brutally" by the Church of England over allegations that he knew about abuse committed by late evangelical John Smyth and failed to act appropriately.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury accused the Church of "unjust" treatment after his Permission to Officiate (PTO) was reinstated last week

His PTO was revoked last June after the National Safeguarding Team's core group concluded that while Principal of Trinity College Bristol in the 80s, he had ignored a report into Smyth's behaviour.

Writing in The Telegraph, Lord Carey denied ever seeing the report and said he "had no knowledge of" Smyth being a student at the college at the time.

His PTO was reinstated by the Bishop of Oxford after the core group concluded that, following recent training, the former Archbishop did not pose a safeguarding risk.

In his piece in The Telegraph, Lord Carey said the core group, which investigates safeguarding complaints, was "secretive" and "stutteringly slow, brutal and impersonal". 

"This matters because I am not the only one experiencing these unjust measures. Last year, it was reported that many clergy were left feeling suicidal by the way they were treated during the Church of England's disciplinary processes," he wrote.

He continued: "This is not the Church of England that I have known – generous, open and kind. Tragically, I know that victims of clerical abuse found the Church of England in the past to be defensive and uncaring, and I greatly regret my part in that culture and those terrible attitudes.

"But it does not do to replace one failure with another. The current culture of fear in which survivors and clerics alike receive no kind of justice must be confronted." 

Newsletter Stay up to date with Christian Today
News
Sam Allberry resigns after being 'disqualified' from ministry by church
Sam Allberry resigns after being 'disqualified' from ministry by church

Sam Allberry has resigned from his position as associate pastor of Immanuel Church Nashville after reportedly being in an “inappropriate relationship with an adult man in 2022". 

12 Christians killed in Nigeria
12 Christians killed in Nigeria

Terrorists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) killed at least 12 people and burned a church building in an attack on a Christian village in northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa State, according to the international Christian aid organization Barnabas Aid.

Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas team up for faith-based single
Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas team up for faith-based single

Contemporary Christian artist Brandon Lake and pop singer Nick Jonas have released a two-song collaboration, featuring the new single “The Author” and a remix of “Hope.”

Where is Scotland heading this week? 
Where is Scotland heading this week? 

Scotland is experiencing serious political, economic and social decline after years of SNP governance and failed policy choices. Will this week's elections change that?