The Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey with his son Rev Mark Carey (right)
The son of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has been suspended by the Diocese of Leeds after a complaint was filed with the Durham Constabulary alleging that over 30 years ago he abused a young girl.
Mark Carey cleared
06 Apr 2017
Author:
George Conger
4 March 2018
Police and prosecutors are considering a criminal investigation into a former Archbishop of Canterbury over an alleged cover-up of sexual abuse.
George Carey stepped down as an honorary bishop last year after a report found the Church had “colluded” with convicted sex abuser Bishop Peter Ball under his leadership.
Now the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is discussing with Scotland Yard detectives whether to pursue criminal charges against Lord Carey, the Telegraph understands.
The Metropolitan Police said it had not launched an official criminal investigation into Lord Carey. A spokesman for the Carey family declined to comment.
It comes as the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)…
Former Archbishop of Canterbury could face police probe into whether he broke the law by covering up for a paedophile bishop
- Police are considering a formal inquiry into Church of England’s former leader
- Lord Carey, 82, could face being interviewed under caution in investigation
- Rev Peter Ball indecently assaulted 18 boys and young men from 1977 to 1992
- Former leaders could face criminal charges for not passing on abuse complaints
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, could face a police investigation into whether he broke the law by covering up for a paedophile bishop.
Officers are understood to be considering a formal inquiry to determine whether the former leader of the Church of England and other senior church officials should face criminal charges over their failure to pass on sex abuse complaints made against ex-bishop Peter Ball.
Such an investigation would be highly controversial and may involve 82-year-old Lord Carey being interviewed under caution.
Sources say police are collecting evidence and scrutinising a scathing Church of England report commissioned by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
It concludes that senior church figures ‘colluded’ to protect Ball and says the decision by Lambeth Palace not to pass the complaints to police ‘must give rise to a perception of deliberate concealment’.
Lawyers representing victims of Ball, who have called for a police investigation, believe the former Archbishop could face a charge of misconduct in a public office, for which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
Ball, a friend of the Prince of Wales, (and other members of the royal family) was jailed for 32 months in 2015 after indecently assaulting 18 boys and young men between 1977 and 1992 in one of the biggest scandals ever to rock the Church of England.
It has been claimed, however, that he might have been convicted more than 20 years earlier had Lord Carey and his staff at Lambeth Palace not withheld from the police six letters making other claims about his behaviour. The letters were sent in by members of the public after allegations against Ball surfaced in the 1990s. Ball was arrested and subsequently resigned as Bishop of Gloucester in 1993.
But his only punishment at that time was a caution for gross indecency for molesting a teenage monk and he was later allowed a licence to work as a retired priest.
Peter Ball, pictured with Prince Charles, was jailed for 32 months in 2015 after indecently assaulting 18 boys and young men between 1977 and 1992
Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Anglican officials who had privately reviewed the case suggested that had the letters been given to detectives in 1993, Ball may have been convicted of serious sexual offences.
The report commissioned by Archbishop Welby, published this summer, concluded that the ‘greatest failure’ of the handling of the case was the ‘management’ of the correspondence, in which Lord Carey was ‘significantly involved’.
Lord Carey strongly denies any cover-up or collusion. His supporters have also argued that Ball could still have received a caution in 1993 even if Lambeth Palace had handed the letters to the authorities.
David Greenwood, the head of the child abuse department at Switalskis solicitors and who represents a number of victims of Peter Ball, said the failure to pass them on provided ‘reasonable grounds’ for the Metropolitan police to open a formal investigation.
The Met and Lord Carey both declined to comment.
Lord Carey is already facing questioning next year by the Government’s independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5117815/Former-Archbishop-face-probe-paedophile-bishop.html
Chichester church abuser ‘allowed back into choir’
27 June 2017
A woman who was sexually abused by a lay vicar in Sussex says she was “completely failed” by the former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.
Alesha Racine wrote to Lord Carey in 1992 after discovering her abuser had returned to the church where she had been sexually assaulted.
On Monday Lord Carey announced his resignation as an honorary bishop.
A review by Dame Moira Gibb found he had failed to pass on information about abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball.
Ms Racine’s abuser, Michael Walsh, was convicted of five indecent assault charges and confessed to sexual relationships with a further eight children.
He was sent to prison in 1990.
He had been a teacher, a lay vicar at Chichester Cathedral and also ran a choir at a church in Chichester.
Child abuse ‘inevitable’
After his release in 1992, Walsh returned to the same church to be part of the choir.
Concerned for the safety of other girls, in July of that year Ms Racine wrote to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, requesting his help.
Speaking after Lord Carey’s resignation, Ms Racine, 54, said: “I was very concerned that my abuser had just come out of prison and it appeared that he’d just gone straight back into the parish church where he’d originally worked, and was again in a position of authority in the choir there where young children – specifically girls – sang.
“I was really worried that these girls were at a huge risk. I felt it was inevitable that children would be abused.”
Three months after writing her letter she was told Lord Carey had been unable to consider her concerns because he was “committed to a series of visits overseas, together with his summer break”.
‘Duty of forgiveness’
She was informed one month later that the “Archbishop had been assured that there was no question of Michael Walsh being reinstated in the choir,” but nine months after raising her concerns she received a letter from the Archbishop’s chief of staff confirming her abuser was back in the choir.
Lambeth Palace wrote to Ms Racine saying the parish authorities had taken “great care” in coming to their decision to allow Walsh’s return to his position “weighing carefully the risk of re-offending against… the Christian duty of forgiveness”.
The letters revealed Lord Carey regretted the decision which allowed Alesha’s abuser back into churches and offered her his sympathies.
Ms Racine said: “I thought his response was deeply hurtful, in that it had taken me a lot of courage to write to him at all.
“Most of what he said was in defence of the Church and the people in it, rather than try to reach out to me as a victim.
“I do feel it was a complete failure on his part.”
A spokesman for the former Archbishop of Canterbury said the correspondence with Ms Racine had been conducted on Lord Carey’s behalf by his chief of staff.
He said: “Lord Carey has absolutely no memory of this chain of correspondence or these events. He cannot therefore comment.”
Former Archbishop Lord Carey resigns after review into child abuse
The former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has resigned after a review into child abuse.
Lord Carey has now left his last remaining formal role in the church.
He was criticised in an independent review of the church’s handling of abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball.
In 2015, Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester from Somerset, was jailed for 32 months for sexually abusing boys and young men.
Richard Scorer @Richard_Scorer
#Gibb report on Bishop Ball a damning indictment of how the establishment in this country protect their own.
https://www.churchofengland.org/media/3999908/report-of-the-peter-ball-review-210617.pdf …
Trent @RandolphTrent
Multiple times a criminal!
alun:
In no way would I wish to influence the decision about Bishop Ball. No? But you did so pull the other one next time!
Moira Gibb Report on the Church of England – convicted paedophile Bishop Ball:
In 1993 the CPS agreed to issue Ball with a caution, rather than prosecute, after the personal intervention of then-Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.
Alun:
I have only 2 explanations for this: 1) Carey condones abuse, or 2) he was protecting a friend of Bishop Ball.
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
for Ball was an honorable man. They are all honourable men. Including yourself Mr Carey!
Bishop Ball was given special treatment because he was mates with Prince Charles!
Tory MP Tim Rathbone
Alun:
Rathbone was not only David Cameron’s godfather; he was also a relative. David Cameron is related to Queenie. Is that the secret to the support to Ball?
Establishment figures who helped disgraced bishop avoid prosecution for sex abuse revealed
Bishop of Chichester Eric Kemp labelling Ball’s accusers as ‘mischief makers’
Harvey Proctor being pronounced a saint by his buddies reminds me of the way Don’t-Carey took Ball under his wings.
David Cameron’s late godfather then Tory MP of Lewes, Tim Rathbone, who gave Mr Cameron his first work experience in the House of Commons.
Mr Rathbone, wrote that he found it “literally inconceivable” that Ball would ever become involved with anyone in the way described.
Alongside Bishop Ball, Harvey Proctor and Bea Carthew, Enoch Powell also corresponded with Nicholas Soames, Proctor’s most ardent defender.
Former Lord Justice Anthony Lloyd and David Cameron’s late godfather Tory MP Tim Rathbone among figures who wrote in support of former Bishop of Gloucester, Peter Ball, one said he was a “saint”
Prince Charles denies trying to help sex crimes bishop escape jail
Unnamed member of the Royal Family sent a letter of support for Peter Ball as prosecutors considered putting him on trial
Dr Andrew Watt @DrAndrewWatt
It’s important to know if Prince of Wales helped Ball. cf
http://ukchildabuseinquiry.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/did-prince-of-wales-intervene-on-behalf.html …
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
With a little help from his friend: Ball promised to go abroad but went to stay on Charles’ estate.
This video highlights ‘Lord’ Carey’s role in preventing the earlier prosecution of Prince Charles’ mate Bishop Ball
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
Northleach = Ball = Harding = Jennings (lifelong Ball friend) = Prince Charles Coincidence?
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-27555686 …
Previously:
Goddard inquiry: Outrage as bishop Peter Ball jailed for sex offences given public funding for legal team
30 July 2016
A lawyer close to the inquiry said: “I was really surprised Ball was given funding. The issue is about how he was allowed to get away with it by the Church not about his offending. He has already been investigated and pleaded guilty.”
Chris Stacey @chrisstacey1
He’s one of the gatekeepers I’ve seen campaigning in Lords to clear name of another Bishop Bell from 1950s. Children don’t feature at all
Lord Carey needs to be thrown out of Lords
George Bell was ‘fond’ of paedophile bishop Peter Ball and sponsored him for ordination, an inquiry has heard.
As former bishop of Chichester, Bell is considered one of Anglicanism’s heroes. However, it emerged in 2015 the Church of England paid £16,800 to the woman, known as Carol, in a legal settlement after she accused Bell of sexually abusing her as a child.
Now it can be revealed Peter Ball, who was jailed for a string of sex offences against teenagers and young men in 2015, was close friends with Bell.
Ball was initially rejected in his attempt to become a priest in 1951 but Bell wrote to the selection panel in support of Ball’s application.
When Ball applied for ordination a second time it was Bell who sponsored him through the process.
In his witness statement to an inquiry investigating child sex abuse within the Church of England, Ball denied that Bell had ‘overruled’ the selection board allowing him to be ordained.
However he said that after his ordination Bell would visit his parish to take services, adding he was ‘aware that he was “fond” of me’.
In response to a question about Bell’s involvement in his ordination, Ball told the inquiry: ‘It is not right therefore to say that Bishop Bell “overruled” the selection board in order for me to be ordained.
‘Although Bishop Bell had indicated in 1951 in a letter to the first Selection Board who did not recommend me for ministry that he would be “prepared to accept me for ordination” even though the Selection Board had not recommend me for training at that time, that is not how matters proceeded.’
He went on: ‘After theological college, it was Bishop Bell ultimately who did sponsored [sic] me for ordination, but with the approval of the Selection Board. Bishop Bell then placed me in the parish of Rottingdean where I undertook my first curacy.
‘He would visit my curacy on occasion to carry out confirmations and to take services.
‘We had a good working relationship; I was aware that he was “fond” of me. He was someone who I looked up to when I was a young curate starting out in the Church.’
Bell, who died in 1958, was revered by Anglicans before the abuse allegations against him emerged. However a report earlier this year heavily criticised the Church’s handling of the accusations and found it ‘rushed to judgement’ and failed to give proper consideration to Bell’s rights.
But the archbishop of Canterbury refused to back down and said a ‘significant cloud is left over his name’.
Ball went on to become bishop of Lewes in the diocese of Chichester and then bishop of Gloucester. He was accused of gross indecency against a 16-year-old in 1992 but escaped with a police caution after he received backing from a member of the Royal Family and a number of other establishment figures. He was told to step down from his role as a bishop. However he continued to minister in churches and schools until 2010 before he was eventually arrested.
At the age of 83 he was sentenced to 32 months for misconduct in public office and 15 months for indecent assaults in 2015. He was released after serving 16 months.
The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse has been investigation how the diocese of Chichester handled allegations of child sexual abuse as a case study for the wider Church of England.
In his concluding remarks today solicitor David Greenwood said the CofE was more ‘malign’ than the Catholic Church in its response to abuse and accused it of ‘a conscious effort to treat survivors badly’.
The archbishop of Canterbury in his evidence said he had ‘learnt to be ashamed again of the Church’ and warned child sexual abuse would ‘destroy the Church’ if not addressed.
We cannot allow the Bishop Ball story to be put to bed! Ball’s links to paedophiles and royalty with links to paedos warrants scrutiny!
Bishop Peter Ball, convicted, to Enoch Powell, fascist and alleged satanist and child abuser:
Oh, just remind me again who were Enoch’s two aides and buddies! Ah, yes. Proctor and Denby!
Peter Ball sending the love of God to Enoch and Pam! What a mistake!
Further evidence of close relationship between godly convict Bishop Ball and ‘Rivers of Blood’ Enoch:
Prince Charles gave him a grace & favour cottage. Like the church, did he also overlook Ball’s abuse of young boys?
22 June 2017
Church of England colluded with bishop who abused boys, says Welby
Report about bishop Peter Ball, finding collusion over 20 years, is ‘harrowing reading’
Collusion: Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy
HRH Crafty Muvva @craftymuvva
Prince Charles gave him a grace & favour cottage. Like the church, did he also overlook Ball’s abuse of young boys?
Senior figures in the Church of England colluded for a period of 20 years with a disgraced former bishop who sexually abused boys and men, a damning independent report has found.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the report on the church’s handling of former bishop Peter Ball made “harrowing reading”.
“The church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward. This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour,” he said.
“To the survivors who were brave enough to share their story and bring Peter Ball to justice, I once again offer an unreserved apology. There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systemic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.”
Two former archbishops of Canterbury, George Carey and Rowan Williams, apologised to the victims of Peter Ball after being criticised for their failures in relation to him.
Ball, the former bishop of both Gloucester and Lewes, was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable young men aged 17-25 who had sought spiritual guidance from him between 1977 and 1992. He was released from prison in February after serving 16 months.
His trial heard that after Ball was first accused in 1993, a string of senior establishment figures – including Carey, an unidentified member of the royal family, cabinet ministers and a high court judge – came forward in his support, writing letters to the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Ball was cautioned by police. He resigned his post as bishop and retired to a rented cottage on the Prince of Wales’s Duchy of Cornwall estate but continued to officiate in 17 public schools until 2007. A fresh investigation was opened in 2012 which led to his conviction.
One of Ball’s victims, Neil Todd – the first to come forward with allegations of abuse – attempted suicide three times before killing himself in 2012.
Welby ordered an independent review of the church’s handling of the case, chaired by Dame Moira Gibb, former chief executive of Camden council.
The report said Ball’s case was dealt with at the highest levels within the church. He “was seen by the church as the man in trouble who the church needed to help”.
Ball was portrayed as a victim, and the review found “little evidence of compassion for Neil Todd even though from the outset it was clear that he was a vulnerable young man who had come to harm”.
It added: “The church appears to have been most interested in protecting itself.”
In the foreword to her report, An Abuse of Faith, published on Thursday, Gibb said the serious sexual wrongdoing of Ball “is shocking in itself but is compounded by the failure of the church to respond appropriately to his misconduct, again over a period of many years”.
“Ball’s priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused. The church colluded. The church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.”
The report added, “progress has been slow and continuing, faster improvement is still required”.
Gibb made 11 recommendations in her report, including improving support to survivors of clerical abuse and taking steps to “demonstrate the individual and collective accountability of bishops”.
Peter Hancock, the C of E’s lead safeguarding bishop, who received the report on behalf of the church, said it had failed Ball’s survivors. “Having read the report I am appalled and disturbed by its contents … As a church we colluded, we failed to act and protect those who came forward for help. There are no excuses. We accept all the recommendations and are working to action them.”
Rowan Williams: ‘It is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball.’
He added: “For the survivors, it may feel this is all too late.”
According to the report, Ball intimated “on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales” and “sought to exploit his contact with members of the royal family in order to bolster his position”.
Bishop Ball with Prince Charles and Camilla. Ball gave the homily at the funeral of Camilla Parker Bowles’s father, Major Bruce Shand, in 2006
Moira Gibb is made a Dame CBE by the Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace back in 2012
However, Dame Moira Gibb’s report went on, it “found no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the royal family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball”.
( CharlieBoab @VanCharleston
Is “found no evidence” a bit like 114 files disappearing?)
Carey was criticised in the report, which said he “set the tone for the church’s response to Ball’s crimes and gave the steer which allowed Ball’s assertions that he was innocent to gain credence”.
In a statement responding to the report, Carey said it made “uncomfortable reading” and he accepted its criticisms of him. “I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball. I believed Peter Ball’s protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations.”
Carey said he regretted not putting Ball’s name on the Lambeth List – names of people whose suitability for ministry is under question – after he was cautioned.
Under the leadership of Williams, the church began reviewing past cases, a move which ultimately led to the criminal case against Ball being reopened, the report said. However, he was criticised as being “lamentably slow” in making change.
In a statement, Williams said: “Having read the report and reflected on its details, it is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball at the earliest opportunity. I recognise such a delay is likely to have increased the pressure and distress experienced by the survivors of his abuse and I am sincerely sorry for this.”
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
It’s quite simple: Lord Carey is a paedophile enabler and sympathiser.
Justin Welby has asked a former Archbishop of Canterbury to step down from his current role after a report found that he and other senior figures in the Church of England “colluded” with a disgraced paedophile bishop to prevent him facing criminal charges.
George Carey, currently an honorary Assistant Bishop in the diocese of Oxford, has been urged to “carefully consider his position” by Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury.
A damning report by former social worker Dame Moira Gibb, the result of an 18-month long enquiry, found that the Church of England had failed to protect the victims of Peter Ball, who abused 18 vulnerable men and boys over a 20-year period.
Ball, a former bishop of Lewes and of Gloucester, was jailed in October 2015 for indecent assault and misconduct in public office. He was released from prison earlier this year.
He had initially been investigated by police in 1993 after Neil Todd, a young man who had stayed with him, told Church figures there had been “sexual activity” between the two. Mr Todd killed himself in 2012.
That investigation ended when Ball accepted a caution for gross indecency and resigned as Bishop of Gloucester.
The report, published on Thursday, found that Lord Carey, then the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to Ball’s twin brother, Bishop Michael Ball, in 1993, after the caution, saying he believed Ball was “basically innocent”.
At that stage Lord Carey was already aware of six letters which had been sent to Lambeth Palace by members of the public, making further allegations about Ball’s behaviour.
These included parents who said their children had been sexually propositioned by Ball and a man who said he had been asked to masturbate in front of him at the age of 15.
The letters were never passed on to police.
Following the caution Ball retired to a rented cottage on the Prince of Wales’ Duchy of Cornwall estate and started to draw a pension. The report also criticises the “unusual degree of financial support from the Church” that he received in retirement, authorised by Lord Carey.
He was also allowed him to carry out services including baptisms and confirmations, as well as speaking at 17 public schools, some until as late as 2007, the report said, a decision in which Lord Carey “played the lead role”.
The former Archbishop also decided not to add him to the “Lambeth List”, which identifies clergyman about whom there are questions as to their suitability for ministry.
Ball was convicted of the offences after a renewed investigation into his actions was opened in 2012 following a review of past cases by Dr Rowan Williams, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002.
The report said Lord Carey “set the tone for the Church’s response to Ball’s crimes and gave the steer which allowed Ball’s assertions that the was innocent to gain credence”.
In a statement, Lord Carey said the report “makes deeply uncomfortable reading” and apologised to Ball’s victims.
He added: “I believed Peter Ball’s protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind these allegations”.
In a statement the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford, said: “The Archbishop of Canterbury has written to Lord Carey and asked him to carefully consider his position as honorary Assistant Bishop.
“As I hold responsibility for granting him a licence to enable him to carry out his duties, Archbishop Justin has asked Lord Carey to talk to me and we have agreed to meet in the coming days for that conversation.
“In the meantime he has voluntarily agreed to step back from public ministry.”
Victims called for the former Archbishop to face criminal proceedings.
Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who represents a number of Ball’s victims, said: “Given what’s in the report, there is now a clear case for the police and CPS to consider criminal charges against senior figures, including Lord Carey, for offences of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.
“This report bears out our clients’ complaint that the Church of England deliberately concealed evidence of Ball’s criminality, and they are appalled by the true extent of collusion in abuse.”
In a foreword to the report, Dame Moira Gibb said: “Ball’s priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused. The Church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.”
Archbishop Justin Welby said the report, titled Abuses of Faith, made “harrowing reading”.
“The Church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward,” he said.
Lord Carey steps back from ministry after ‘harrowing’ report on Peter Ball case
22 June 2017
BOTH the Archbishop of Canterbury’s predecessors have issued personal apologies, and the Archbishop has asked Lord Carey to consider his position as an honorary assistant bishop in the diocese of Oxford, after the publication of an independent report on the Peter Ball case and the Church’s part in it.
Lord Carey has been strongly criticised in the report of the review group, chaired by Dame Moira Gibb, which was published on Thursday, almost two years after the review was announced by Archbishop Welby (News, 7 October 2015).
The 81-page report, Abuse of Faith, sets out in detail the events and circumstances leading up to, surrounding, and following the arrest and imprisonment of Ball, who received a three-year sentence in October 2015, having admitted to a series of indecent assaults and the abuse of 18 young men aged 17-25. One of his victims took his own life. Ball, who is 85, was released in February after serving 16 months of his sentence.
The report criticises the conduct of several senior Church of England figures — in particular, Lord Carey, who, it says, failed to respond to repeated expressions of concern and allegations against Bishop Ball — most notably those of the late Neil Todd, who was repeatedly abused by the bishop during the 1980s and ’90s.
In a statement on the report, which he described as “harrowing”, Archbishop Welby said that the Church had “colluded and concealed” rather than acted to help survivors to come forward; and he repeated an “unreserved apology” for this.
“This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour, and, although Dame Moira notes that most of the events took place many years ago, and does not think that the Church now would conduct itself in the ways described, we can never be complacent: we must learn lessons.”
A copy of a letter to Lord Carey, requesting that he “carefully consider” relinquishing his title as honorary assistant bishop, was leaked online on Thursday morning. The existence of the correspondence was later confirmed in a statement from the Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, who said that he had agreed to meet Lord Carey in the coming days. “In the mean time, he has voluntarily agreed to step back from public ministry.”
Receiving the report on behalf of Archbishop Welby, on Thursday, however, the Bishop of Bath & Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Hancock, who is the lead bishop on safeguarding, said that news of the leaked letter was “very disappointing”, since the focus should have been on the survivors.
“Having read the report, I am appalled and deeply disturbed by its contents. . . Today is a reminder of how we have failed, and this report provides robust recommendations for how we can improve our safeguarding practice.”
Ball had continued to abuse young boys and men sexually and physically for his own gratification, under the pretence of providing spiritual enlightenment, for the duration of his ministry as monk, priest, and, later, bishop, the report says. He had been involved in founding and running monastic religious communities since 1960, when concerns were first raised about his behaviour — including reports of praying naked on the chapel floor, self-flagellation, and the physical and sexual harassment and abuse of others, including schoolboys.
The Church’s “trivialisation” of such allegations, together with its naïve, prescriptive, and prejudiced attitude towards homosexuality, were in part to blame for its repeated failure to acknowledge and conduct a proper investigation into the exploitation carried out by Ball throughout his ministry, the report says.
It describes how, in October 1992, Mr Todd, after attempting to take his own life, disclosed the abuse to a “Mr A”, who passed on the allegations to the Bishop of Chichester at the time, the late Dr Eric Kemp, who subsequently briefed Lord Carey. It was not until Mr Todd attempted to take his life for a second time, however, that his worried parents contacted Gloucester Police. This eventually led to a Metropolitan Police investigation into the allegations.
Lambeth Palace later issued a press statement acknowledging the investigations. It stated that Lord Carey had instructed Bishop Ball to “rest” from his official duties, and was praying for him. There was no mention of survivors, and it said: “It must be emphasized that no charges have been brought against the Bishop, and the allegations about him are unsubstantiated. Moreover, the Bishop has a proven record of outstanding pastoral work, particularly amongst young people.”
In 1993, Ball stood down as Bishop of Gloucester after his arrest and caution for gross indecency. In the December, Lambeth Palace received seven letters containing “potentially disturbing information” about Ball, but did not release them during the police investigation. Lord Carey chose not to place Ball on the Lambeth list — naming clerics of questionable suitability, and during a CRB check of Ball in 2004, no evidence of the police caution had been recorded.
“Only one of those letters was handed over,” Dame Moira said on Thursday. “It is perfectly possible that the course of events would have been altered had those letters been handed over. It was deeply inappropriate that the Church did not hand them over at that time.”
Bishop Hancock said: “It was disgraceful that the Church consistently and completely failed those survivors at that time.”
Mr Todd took his own life in 2012, after the allegations against Ball resurfaced. This led to an investigation by Sussex Police, Operation Dunhill. Lord Carey had played down previous concerns, allowed Ball to continue his ministry, and even provided funds to assist Ball during this time, the report says.
Both Lord Carey and Lord Williams, who was Archbishop when the police investigation into Ball was conducted in 2012, have apologised.
Lord Carey states: “I accept the criticisms made of me. I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball. I believed Peter Ball’s protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations. I regret that after Peter Ball was cautioned I did not place his name on the Lambeth list.”
While Lord Williams had “inherited a confused situation” from his predecessor, and started the process that led to Ball’s arrest and imprisonment, he had been too slow, and “missed the opportunity to review and clarify” the case, the report says.
Lord Williams acknowledged this in his apology. “It is clear that I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball at the earliest opportunity. I recognise that such a delay is likely to have increased the pressure and distress experienced by the survivors of his abuse and I am sincerely sorry for this.”
The report also criticises other senior church figures, including Ball’s predecessor as Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd John Yates, as well as Peter Ball’s idenitical twin brother, the Rt Revd Michael Ball, who conducted a “manipulative” campaign to allow his brother to continue his ministry.
Concerning one aspect of the twins’ relationship, it concludes: “It appears to us extraordinary that a bishop should, at best, be so careless as to allow himself to be impersonated, and particularly to be impersonated by a former bishop who had resigned in the circumstances detailed above. However, the Church has considered these matters and has taken no further action. That may be appropriate in the light of Bishop Michael Ball’s age, and status as a retired bishop.”
The report dismisses allegations that any member of the royal family intervened on Peter Ball’s behalf. “Ball himself, both in his correspondence and in his public statements, sought to exploit his contact with members of the Royal Family in order to bolster his position, particularly in the eyes of Lord Carey and others from whom he hoped to receive sympathetic treatment.
“We have reviewed all the relevant material including the correspondence passing between the Prince of Wales and Ball held by the Church and found no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the Royal Family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball.”
The report also notes of Peter Ball: “His decision to withhold his co-operation with this review does not sit well with [his] declarations [of remorse].”
Presenting the report, Dame Moira said: “Peter Ball abused his faith and his Church, appearing outwardly as a good and holy man while actively harming others. He abused the faith that people rightly had in him as a leader in the Church, and most importantly he abused the faith of those who sought spiritual guidance from him, and instead found hurt, deceit, and manipulation.”
These “shocking” acts were compounded by the failure of the Church to “respond appropriately” to numerous concerns raised by survivors and others, including those who had known and worked with Ball, she said.
Her report sets out 11 recommendations for the Church, both to support the complex needs of survivors properly, and to prevent further abuse. This includes reviewing its safeguarding procedures, as well as the responsibilities of the National Safeguarding Team and the Lambeth, Bishopthorpe, and Archbishops’ lists.
Bishop Hancock said that a copy of the report had been sent to all the Bishops, and that survivors would be invited to tell of their experiences, including the family of Mr Todd. He also referred to new safeguarding legislation and updated guidance from the House of Bishops.
“For the survivors, it may feel this is all too late. I am personally aware from my meetings with individual survivors in the course of my work that they live with the effects of this abuse for their whole life. I once again offer them my wholehearted apology.”
Report in full here.
Former Bishop of Truro Michael Ball and his paedophile ex-bishop twin Peter want to become Catholics so they can live in anonymity
8 DEC 2017
Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, has asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol, a spokesman for the Church confirmed.
His identical twin brother Michael Ball, who was Bishop of Truro from 1990 to 1997, also sent an email to friends telling them of the idea.
From the email…”The events of the last years and rightly or wrongly the battering by the Church have totally wearied and reduced us.
“We will probably be joining the Roman Catholic Church soon.
…Michael Ball’s complaint of taking a “battering” from the Church was “flippant” and it was “disgusting” the pair were acting as though they were the victims.
A spokesman for the Roman Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton said: “We confirm that Peter Ball has been in contact with the Roman Catholic diocese of Clifton, in which diocese he now lives, expressing an interest in becoming a member of the Catholic Church.
“This matter is subject to discussions between Clifton diocese and the statutory authorities, who are the lead with regards to Peter Ball’s risk management in the community.
Disgraced paedophile former bishop Peter Ball with close friend Prince Charles
Peter Ball’s sentence came 22 years after the abuse first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault.
The court heard how Peter Ball had convinced some of his victims to strip naked to pray and even suggested they submit to beatings between 1977 and 1992.
The first of his victims to come forward took his own life in 2012 after hearing Sussex Police had reopened the case.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey resigned as honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Oxford after the public inquiry into child sex abuse last year heard he delayed a “proper investigation” into Peter Ball’s crimes for two decades by failing to pass information to police.
There were fears Peter Ball may have taken the place of his twin, who was Bishop of Truro in the Nineties, and therefore duped congregations in other parts of the UK.
The Diocese of Truro was understood to be looking into the evidence that Peter Ball conducted services in Cornwall.
Now it has emerged the Archbishop of Canterbury’s headquarters received at least six letters from other alleged victims detailing “potentially criminal” and “totally inappropriate behaviour” by Peter Ball in the early 1990s but did not pass them on to police until years later.
“The Church appears to have resorted to staggering levels of deceit in order to prevent the true extent of Ball’s offending coming to light,” said Richard Scorer, a solicitor who is representing victims of Peter Ball.
Details of the letters, all sent to the Church between December 1992 and February 1993, reveal that Peter Ball encouraged victims to pray naked, perform sex acts in front of him and share his bed.
Anglican officials who reviewed the letters in 2009 suggested that, had such evidence been given to detectives in 1993, Peter Ball may have been convicted of serious sexual offences rather than merely cautioned.
But instead of being made public, the letters were kept in confidential files at Lambeth Palace.
It was not until 2012, after several internal inquiries, that the Church finally released documents to police.
An independent review is also currently under way into the way the Church of England responded to the case involving Peter Ball.
Church knew about allegations before Cornish preacher went on to abuse boys, investigation reveals
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling
25 MAY 2018
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009
A leading figure in the Church of England in Cornwall went on to commit child sex offences for several years after allegations about his behaviour with young boys were raised with the diocese and not acted upon, an official investigation has revealed.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released today, says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
After the first allegations of Dowling abusing boys at a North Cornwall school where he taught were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions – because of a lack of corroborative evidence – the then Bishop of Truro Maurice Key wrote: “I suppose the problem will now be to find him some other work”.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
The report’s author said the lack of action by the diocese allowed Dowling to gain credibility and authority.
“Because they didn’t take it any further it enabled Jeremy Dowling to reach a position where he made up his own rules, and his position within the church lent him credibility and authority,” said Dr Andy Thompson, an academic, magistrate and member of the Diocesan Council.
The Bishop of St Germans, Rt Revd Dr Chris Goldsmith, apologised for the lack of action and the suffering that resulted.
Bishop who ignored warnings about preacher Jeremy Dowling who went on to abuse boys is identical twin of paedophile ex-bishop
Former Bishop of Truro Michael Ball’s twin Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, was convicted of abusing young boys
25 May 2018
One of the bishops who ignored warnings about a preacher who went on to sexaully abuse boys is the identical twin of a paedophile ex-bishop.
It emerged this week that a leading figure in the Church of England in Cornwall went on to commit child sex offences for several years after allegations about his behaviour with young boys were raised with the diocese and not acted upon, an official investigation has revealed.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released on Friday (May 25), says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
Cornwall mum made homeless with Down’s Syndrome son after mouldy flat sees child hospitalised
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
One of the leaders who was named in the report was Michael Ball, 86, who was Bishop of Truro from 1990 to 1997. The Right Reverend Ball told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations about Dowling but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
His identical twin, Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 for offences dating back to the 1970s against 18 young men at his home in East Sussex.
His sentence came 22 years after the abuse first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault. The court heard how Peter Ball had convinced some of his victims to strip naked to pray and even suggested they submit to beatings between 1977 and 1992.
The first of his victims to come forward took his own life in 2012 after hearing Sussex Police had reopened the case.
There were fears Peter Ball may have taken the place of his twin, who was Bishop of Truro in the Nineties, and therefore duped congregations in other parts of the UK.
The Diocese of Truro was understood to be looking into the evidence that Peter Ball conducted services in Cornwall.
Last year the brothers decided they wanted to become Catholics so they could live in anonimity. Peter Ball asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol and both said they wanted to switch faith from the Church of England so they could “live and worship in anonymity” within the Catholic Church.
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/bishop-who-ignored-warnings-preacher-1608976
Former Bishop of Truro was Michael Ball, twin brother of convicted paedophile/friend of the royal family and Jimmy Savile – Bishop Peter Ball.
Jeremy Dowling
The Right Reverend Michael Ball – Bishop of Truro from 1990-97 – told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
His identical twin, former bishop Peter Ball, was jailed in 2015 for a string of indecent assaults on teenagers and young men.
A file found “in an unusual place” at the Bishop of Truro’s residence in 2013 was passed to police and led to Dowling’s prosecution.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-44240688
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
Prime Minister lauds accomplishments of Bude organisation as he presents Big Society Award
–
BIG SOCIETY: Pictured above, with Prime Minister David Cameron and North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson, are Co-founder of Community Action Through Sport (CATS) and volunteer Denise Jane May, CATS trustee and volunteer Jeremy Dowling, CATS Project Development Manager Karen Hemmings, CATS Project Development Assistant Louise Anne Harris and CATS trustee and volunteer Sharon Caroline Marshall.
Ex Truro Diocese worker Jeremy Dowling sexually abused boys
5 June 2015
An ex-Diocese of Truro press officer has admitted sexually abusing boys over a period of more than 10 years.
Jeremy Dowling, 76, carried out the assaults on five children, aged between 12 and 15, from 1959 to 1971.
Truro Crown Court heard Dowling abused the boys at sporting events and in toilets while working as a teacher in Devon.
The Bishop of Truro described Dowling’s offences as “deeply shocking” and said his thoughts were with the victims.
Sentencing was adjourned until July 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Dowling, of Church Path, Bude, retired from the Diocese of Truro in 2009 after 25 years of service.
‘Damaging impact’
He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of indecent assault on boys aged 12 to 15 and two counts of indecency with a child.
The court heard one assault was carried out on a boy at a cricket match. Others took place in an attic, in storage rooms at a sporting pavilion and in outside toilets.
The Right Reverend Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro, said many people would have known Dowling as a reader at St Michael’s Church and St Genny’s Church in Bude and as a member of the Diocesan and General Synods.
Bishop Thornton said: “Offences like this will have a damaging and lasting impact on people’s lives.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-33025742
Former Cornwall preacher Jeremy Dowling ‘assaulted boy’
The assaults happened when Jeremy Dowling was a lay preacher at two churches in the Bude area of Cornwall, Truro Crown Court was told.
Mr Dowling met the boy when he was 10 through church activities and “took him under his wing”.
He has denied six counts of indecent assault on a child and two counts of gross indecency with a child.
The assaults happened in the 1970s before Mr Dowling became a press spokesman for the Diocese of Truro, the court heard.
‘Long time ago’
Jo Martin, prosecuting, said some of the assaults took place at Mr Dowling’s house after the boy had been invited for dinner and on one occasion he was taken to a church on the north coast.
She said Mr Dowling took him up a tower and showed him the view, then took him to a room and assaulted him.
The alleged victim did not tell anyone when he was a child but later, when he was married, told his wife about the assaults.
He said when his wife rang up Mr Dowling, accusing him of being a paedophile, Mr Dowling replied “that was a long time ago”.
He said he eventually went to the police after reading in news reports that Mr Dowling had admitted abusing five boys when he was a teacher at a private school in the 1960s.
Mr Dowling is currently serving a jail term for those offences.
Tributes paid as Bude man retires as diocesan communications officer after 25 years
–
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
Theresa May has held private PRAYER sessions with the Archbishop of Canterbury
- PM and Justin Welby have met for private sessions since May entered No 10
- Lambeth Palace is on the South Bank just a short drive from 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister, who is regularly pictured at church, is said to find the meetings with Justin Welby a ‘great comfort’
Elders of Cape Town church expel alleged abuser John Smyth
09 June 2017
JOHN SMYTH, the Evangelical Christian camp leader accused of savagely beating young men during the 1970s and ’80s in his garden shed (News, 13 April), has been formally expelled from his church in South Africa, where he now lives.
In a lengthy statement, the elders of Church-on-Main, Cape Town, where Mr Smyth and his wife, Anne, have worshipped since 2013, announced that the Smyths would be “excommunicated, with all its scriptural implications”, because of Mr Smyth’s refusal to engage with the church leadership about the allegations.
The statement explains that the church was aware that some had criticised Mr Smyth’s holiday-camp ministry in Zimbabwe when he first joined Church-on-Main, four years ago, but had been assured that this was nothing more than jealousy at the ministry’s success.
Last September, however, the church elders found out that Mr Smyth was regularly meeting young men from Church-on-Main at a sports club, playing squash before showering together and then questioning them about “pornography, masturbation, and other sexual matters”.
They then discovered that Mr Smyth’s Zimbabwe camps had been involved in a court case. The elders’ statement said, however, that whenever they attempted to discuss the matter with Mr Smyth, he became defensive, and attacked the elders’ leadership of the church.
After the allegations first surfaced in the UK in February (News, 10 February), the elders said that they had urged Mr Smyth to return to the UK to work with the police, and told him not to attend Church-on-Main meetings or contact any other church members.
Because he has refused to engage with the leaders, or follow their advice, he has now been excommunicated from the church, the statement says.”
Our counsel has always been for John to present himself to the UK authorities for whatever consequences he could face, admitting, if necessary, to any accusation that holds substance, and to apologise, asking for forgiveness and mercy,” it says.”
If our having had John as a leader of a discipleship group, or his role in any form of ministry has led to hurt or risk to anyone, or to bringing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ into disrepute in any way; for this we apologise.”
Channel 4 News, which first broke the story in February, has broadcast new details that appear to suggest that the Archbishop of Canterbury continued to be involved with Iwerne Trust camps at the same time as Mr Smyth.
Archbishop Welby was a dormitory officer at the holiday camps in the late 1970s, when Mr Smyth was one of the leaders. A statement from Lambeth Palace, issued after the Channel 4 programme, said that the Archbishop had worked with Mr Smyth, but that no one had discussed the allegations with him.”
I was completely unaware of any abuse,” the Archbishop told LBC radio in February. “I never heard anything at all, at any point. I never had the slightest suspicion that there was anything going on.”
Last week, Channel 4 News reported that the Archbishop’s name appeared on a speaker roster for an Iwerne Trust camp in 1979, as did Mr Smyth’s, and he remained on the camps’ mailing list, despite then living in France.
Archbishop Welby denied that these documents implied that he was connected to Mr Smyth. “I left to work and live in Paris in 1978 — as I understand it, a year before the abuse was to begin — and did not return to work in the UK until 1983,” he said in a statement this week.”
As I have previously stated, I was not one of the inner circle of people surrounding John Smyth, or in the leadership of the camps. A talk on reading the Bible, which I did as a one-off in 1979, does not make anyone a member of an ‘inner circle’.”
A spokeswoman for the Archbishop declined to comment on Mr Smyth’s expulsion from Church-on-Main.
methinks Welby doth ‘protest too much’
Update on Mark Carey: Apr 6 2017
Very Curious...only two sites reporting this news on Mark Carey – Christian Today.com -& Anglican Ink and not one of the major newspaper sites that published the original arrest news??
Were they instructed not to??….
Son of former Archbishop of Canterbury cleared of sex abuse charges
The son of former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has been cleared of sex abuse charges against a young woman.
Rev Mark Carey was suspended from ministering by the Diocese of Leeds after he was arrested in October 2016 for allegedly sexually attacking a young woman in the 1980s.
He was later released on bail but has since reported the case has been dropped and no further action will be taken, according to Anglican Ink.
A source close to Mr Carey told Christian Today that both he and the diocese of Leeds had been informed by the police that the allegations were ‘unfounded’.
The incident was said to have taken place while his father, now Lord Carey, was vicar at St Nicholas’, Durham, between 1975 and 1982.
Mark Carey, now 51, would have been in his teens at the time. Carey Senior then became Archbishop of Canterbury between 1991 and 2002. He has maintained a high profile since as a media commentator and campaigner.
‘Woke up with a sense of freedom for first time in 5 months. Accusation & condemnation wiped out,’ Mark Carey wrote on Facebook last month. ‘Now in recovery mode.’
He later posted on Facebook his relief and celebration at being cleared.
Carey describes himself as a ‘pioneer minster’ in the Church of England. He is involved in the Kairos Christian fellowship which is a Christian community movement that meets in pubs, cafes and homes.
Christian Today has requested a comment from the Leeds diocese.
Here’s the Anglican link article:
Carey cleared
06 Apr 2017
Author:
George Conger
The son of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has been cleared of charges that he abused a young girl. The accusations against the Rev. Mark Carey led to his suspension by the Diocese of Leeds and questioning by police. However, on 8 March 2017 he reported: “Just heard that police have dropped case & no further action.”
On 19 Oct 2016, Mr Carey was arrested at his home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, by officers of the Durham Constabulary accused of having sexually abused a young women in the 1980s. He was released after posting bail, pending further inquiries. The incident is alleged to have occurred during Lord Carey’s tenure as vicar of St Nicholas’ Church in Durham between 1975 and 1982. Mark Carey, now 51, would have been no more than 17 years old at the time.
Supported by family, friends and his parishioners, Mr. Carey maintained his innocence throughout his five month ordeal and was grateful for his vindication. Friends of the Harrogate vicar told AI they were shocked by the accusations and considered them “absurd”. Following his vindication from the false charges of abuse, Mr. Carey wrote on his On his Facebook: “Woke up with a sense of freedom for first time in 5 months. Accusation & condemnation wiped out. Now in recovery mode.”
For six years Mr Carey has served as the “pioneer minister” of the Kairos Christian fellowship that meets in homes, pubs, and cafes. At its launch in 2010, Mr. Carey told the BBC “Kairos focuses on releasing communities of followers to live out the mission of Jesus.”
“While it is one church it is also six smaller network churches, small to mid-size groups of up to thirty people known, officially, as ‘mission-shaped communities’ (MSCs).”
“With a variety of imaginative titles, each MSC is treated as a church in its own right, meeting not in a church building but in homes, cafes, pubs, or even outdoors”.
Disclaimer: While the author of this report has never met the Rev. Mark Carey, he was a colleague of the brother of the accused, Andrew, for several years at the Church of England Newspaper.
Comments:
Rev Mark Carey son of former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Carey arrested over historic child sex abuse claims
21 Oct 2016
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, at Wakefield Cathedral at his son Mark Carey’s ordination – July 2 1995
Rev Mark Carey, 51, is accused of assaulting a young girl in the 1980s when he was in his late teens
His alleged victim, now in her 30s, claimed she was assaulted when he was in his late teens and Lord Carey was a priest in the North-East.
Mark Carey, now 51, would have been no more than 17 years old at the time.
(Mark Carey was born in 1965. He was 17 in 1982. If the woman is in her 30s, now, she would have been born between 1977-1986; so in 1982, the oldest she would have been was 5 years old.)
Rev Carey was released on police bail and has since been suspended by the Church of England pending inquiries.
Father of three Rev Carey, who followed his father into the church in 1995
Rev Carey’s father was Archbishop between 1991 and 2002. George Carey became a member of the Privy Council in the same year that he was made Archbishop – 1991.
He was joined at his home in Harrogate, North Yorks, yesterday by his father and mother Eileen. His wife Penny, 53, whom he married in 1988, refused to comment.
The alleged victim approached Durham Police to make the complaint. Officers from North Yorkshire police arrested him.
The former social worker – was ordained in 1995 at Wakefield Cathedral, witnessed by his father.
He had previously been curate of Christ Church in South Ossett, West Yorks and went on to be a parish priest in Sheffield and then Harrogate in 2007.
Last night, a Church of England spokesman said: “A 51-year-old priest in the Diocese of Leeds has been suspended by the Bishop following his arrest by Durham Constabulary concerning allegations of historical abuse.
His brother Andrew, who works at the Christian charity Barnabas Fund, told the Sunday Telegraph that his family did not wish to comment on the allegations against Rev Carey.
Mark Carey
I used to work with children and young people as a Residential Social Worker in Bristol before becoming a C of E Vicar. I now lead Kairos Church, formerly St Mary’s Harrogate with All Saint’s, Harlow Hill.
Nursing Times, Nursing Mirror, Volume 83 – 1987
Mark Carey was a residential social worker. 1987
Mark Carey is passionate about adoption.
Mark CareyProtected Tweets
@kairoscarey
Follower & friend of Christ, husband, father of 3. Pioneer Minister Kairos Network Church.
Passionate about discipleship, adoption & Arsenal FC.
https://twitter.com/kairoscarey
Education
(Notable Crusader Peter Broadbent was at St Nicholas’ Church til 1980.
Ordained in 1977, His first parish job was as Curate to George Carey, when he was Vicar of St Nicholas, Durham and he was an Islington Labor councillor 1982-1990.)
Broadbent was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood, Middlesex. He was 15 when he became a committed Christian through the Crusaders youth organisation. He studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge and then studied theology at St John’s College, Nottingham before being ordained.
more on Broadbent below-back to Mark Carey…
Since 2006 when their building was declared unsafe, the congregation have been worshipping at Harrogate Grammar School where Mr Carey was licensed as Priest in Charge during a ceremony at the beginning of this month. The Bishop of Leeds and Ripon was there to lead the ceremony.
Mr Carey was previously vicar at St Mark’s Church Grenoside, Sheffield, where he had been for eight years. His wife Penny, and three children joined him at the vicarage in September as they embarked on their new life in Harrogate.
http://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/homeless-churchwelcomes-new-vicar-1-2639829
GEORGE AND MARK CAREY; ABUSE CLAIMS
21 Oct 2016
THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has been granted core-participant status at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) after Professor Alexis Jay, who chairs it, ruled that he “may be subject to explicit criticism by the Inquiry in due course”.
Core participants are entitled to legal representation at the Inquiry and to receive advance disclosure of evidence. They may also cross-examine witnesses when the public hearings begin, something that is expected to happen next year.
In his application for core participant status, lawyers for Lord Carey explained that, as a retired office-holder, he was led to be believe that he would be represented at the Inquiry by lawyers for the Archbishops’ Council, which also has core-participant status. “Once the Archbishops’ Council indicated to Lord Carey that there might be some conflict between their interests and those of Lord Carey, he made contact with alternative legal representatives,” Professor Jay said.
In granting core-participant status, Professor Jay said that “Lord Carey was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time when [the former Bishop of Lewes, then of Gloucester] Peter Ball’s sexual abuse came to light in 1992, and when he received a police caution in 1993, and it is stated in Lord Carey’s application that he had a pastoral and disciplinary role in relation to Peter Ball at that time.
I also understand that Lord Carey was involved in deciding on Peter Ball’s further officiation within the Church of England after he received that caution.
”The Inquiry will consider the extent to which any failings identified in relation to the diocese of Chichester and Peter Ball are representative of wider failings within the Church of England and/or the Anglican Church in general, and the nature and extent of any failings of institutions to protect children from abuse.
A lawyer representing victims of an abusive Church of England bishop has called for an investigation into the ‘misconduct’ of former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton.
According to this report, David Greenwood, representing several of Peter Ball’s victims, said he was sure the Church had covered up evidence and urged Scotland Yard to:
Consider opening an investigation into perverting the course of justice by church officials.
Greenwood spoke out after the release of documents that suggest the head of the Church of England knew about the abuse allegations but failed to act.
Sussex police documents, released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act last week, reveal that Lambeth Palace, the residence of the head of the Church, received six letters and a number of verbal reports detailing allegations of abuse shortly after the initial investigation into Ball in 1992.
In the letters, Ball is accused of encouraged victims to pray naked, perform sex acts in front of him and share his bed.
Lord Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, became Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham after he retired.
The files indicate the Church failed to pass this evidence on to police. In February 1993, Lord Carey wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions and a chief constable in support of Ball.
Last October, current Archbishop Justin Welby launched an independent review into the Church of England’s response to the allegations.
A spokesperson for Lord Carey declined to comment but said Carey was cooperating fully with Welby’s inquiry.
The newly released documents also suggest Ball associated with other known sex offenders in the clergy and was investigated in 2008 for being part of suspected pedophile ring.
The documents show Ball covered for and helped priests accused of sex abuse.
Lord George Carey
In England his time saw notable national events: he took part in the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997,
led worship for the nation in the Dome for the new Millennium;
quoted at the Service commemorating the victims of the 9/11 attacks;
led the tributes at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2001 and
preached memorably at Golden Jubilee of the Queen in 2002
He retired in 2002 at the age of 66 and was made a life peer, taking the title Lord Carey of Clifton, reflecting appreciation of his time as Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Lord Carey said he was ‘appalled’ at the way it (the church) handled the accusations against Bishop George Bell
![[The Rt. Rev. George Leona...]](https://i0.wp.com/episcopalarchives.org/e-archives/ENS/photographs/processed/90187_1.jpg)
Carey left school at age 15 and served as a radio operator in the Royal Air Force from 1954 to 1956. By 20 he had undergone a religious conversion—not Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, he admitted, but the simple conviction that he had found something special. He was then admitted to King’s College, London University, from which he received a bachelor of divinity degree in 1962. Beginning his clerical career as a curate in Islington (1962–66), Carey was also a lecturer at Oakhill College in Southgate (1966–70) and at St. John’s College in Nottingham (1970–75). He was vicar of St. Nicholas Church in Durham (1975–82) and principal of Trinity College, Bristol (1982–87). In 1987 Carey was made bishop of Bath and Wells, and in 1990 he was named to succeed as archbishop of Canterbury.
Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie announced that Queen Elizabeth II had just officially appointed Dr. George Carey to succeed him when he retires next January 31.
The appointment came as a surprise to many who were following the nomination process. In his prepared statement, Runcie said the appointment was “imaginative…
Some observers were surprised because Carey was not mentioned on the lists of possible choices circulating in the press. At 54 years of age, Carey is also considered comparatively young for such an appointment — and he has been bishop of Bath and Wells only since 1987.
2001 Her Majesty the Queen greets members of the Carey family at the Lambeth Palace Garden Party – sharing a special handshake with Carey family member.
2001
http://www.glcarey.co.uk/Pages/PhotoFile.html
Lord Chris Patten with wife, Lavender
Lord George Leonard Carey director at same company as Chris Patten’s wife LADY MARY LAVENDER ST LEGER PATTEN OF BARNES
United Learning Trust – To advance, for the public benefit, education in the United Kingdom by establishing, maintaining, operating and developing schools. A charity, limited by guarantee
https://companycheck.co.uk/company/04439859/UNITED-LEARNING-TRUST/companies-house-data
Lord Carey is a director of
Christian Weekly Newspapers along with RT REVD PETER ALAN BROADBENT
RT REVD PETER ALAN BROADBENT – director at son Mark Carey’s school ST.JOHN’S COLLEGE NOTTINGHAM LIMITED
He became a Christian at 14 through ‘Crusaders’, a Christian youth organisation. He trained for the ministry at St John’s College, Nottingham.
Peter Alan “Pete” Broadbent is a British Anglican bishop. He is the current Church of England Bishop of Willesden, an area bishopric in the Diocese of London. He was also the acting area Bishop of Stepney
He was 15 when he became a committed Christian through the Crusaders youth organisation. He studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge and then studied theology at St John’s College, Nottingham before being ordained.
Broadbent’s first parish job was as Curate to George Carey, the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, when he was Vicar of St Nicholas, Durham
Broadbent moved to the Diocese of London in 1980 to be curate of Emmanuel Church, Holloway and the Bishop of Stepney‘s Chaplain for Mission.
Pete Broadbent has served as a member of General Synod on and off since 1985 and was a member of its Standing Committee. He chaired the Business Committee of Synod from 1996 – 2000 and was also a founder member of the Archbishops’ Council.
In 1983 he became Anglican Chaplain to the Polytechnic of North London (now London Metropolitan University) as well as honorary curate of St Mary’s, Islington. He moved to the Willesden Area in 1989 to become Vicar of Trinity St Michael, Harrow and was made Area Dean of Harrow in 1994. The following year he was appointed as Archdeacon of Northolt, working with the former Bishop of Willesden.
Broadbent is a member of the Labour Party and was a councillor for the London Borough of Islington from 1982 and 1990, being the chair of their Development and Planning Committee.
Jeremy Corbyn was elected as the Member of Parliament for Islington North in 1983.
Horrific crimes against children in the care of Islington Council were committed while Margaret Hodge was council leader (1982-1992).
When a shocking catalogue of abuse was exposed by the Evening Standard in 1992, Hodge accused the paper of “sensationalist gutter journalism”. Tony Blair later appointed her as the first Minister for Children.
Derek Sawyer – Leader of Islington Council 1992-1994
Pete Broadbent councillor for the London Borough of Islington from 1982 and 1990
Jeremy Corbyn – Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983
Councillors row over ‘breach of conduct’ (18.11.82)
Pete Broadbent
Bishop of Willesden
- London, United Kingdom
- Religious Institutions
| Current |
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|---|---|
| Previous |
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| Education |
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Experience
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Chair of Board
Memralife Group
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President
West London YMCA
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Bishop of Willesden
Church of England
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Trustee
London Diocesan Fund
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Member
Spring Harvest
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Trustee
Church Urban Fund
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Chair of Council
St John’s Nottingham
Volunteer Experience & Causes
Causes Pete cares about:
- Arts and Culture
- Education
- Politics
George Carey with wife Eileen.
George Carey’s wife, Eileen, was won over by Billy Graham Crusade
When Eileen was sixteen the young American preacher, Billy Graham, was conducting his London Crusade and once a week Eileen took a chartered bus to London.
Later she welcomed Billy Graham to Canterbury Cathedral for the enthronement of her husband.
I’ll sue if anyone links me to untrue paedophile claims, says Tory grandee Sir Peter Bottomley
Denied there had been a major Establishment conspiracy to cover up abuse
George Carey blasts Trump protesters in London over ‘hysterical’ attacks on President
Feb 5 2017
FORMER Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has called for the world to give Donald Trump a chance.
In an extraordinary intervention, he accused the new US President’s critics of a “hysterical overreaction that poses a danger to the kind of constructive relationship we should have with the President”.
it is one of the key characteristics of those who consider themselves progressive to reserve condemnation for America, ‘the West’, or Israel and ignore much greater evil-doers.”
Collection of many articles re: clergy abuse
goodnessandharmony 
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