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U.K.: Leading Anglican Evangelist Berates Welby over Carey's Forced Resignation

U.K.: Leading Anglican Evangelist Berates Welby over Carey's Forced Resignation

By Canon Michael Green
www.virtueonline.org
July 11, 2017

Public executions are ugly. But that is what has happened to Lord Carey.

As a result of his handling of the Bishop Peter Ball pedophile affair, a quarter of a century ago, he has now not only been criticized in the Gibb Report and accused in a letter of June 21 by the present Archbishop of colluding with Ball; he has been forced to resign from the honorary role of Assistant Bishop in Oxford, and banned from any form of ministry in any church worldwide!

He did not collude with Peter Ball, who was cautioned by the police, resigned as Bishop of Gloucester and was in due course imprisoned. Lord Carey's mistake, for which he has apologised, was failing to put Ball, by then a sick man, on the Lambeth Caution List, because he did not think there was any chance of his ministering again. The provincial Registrar concurred. It is hard to escape the conclusion that Lord Carey has been made a scapegoat, and Dr. Welby's ban is not only unjust but petty.

The whole thing seems to have been very badly orchestrated. Archbishop Welby's letter to Lord Carey came out of the blue -- the same day as the press conference. It has been suggested that George Carey should have looked after the numerous victims of Peter Ball, but this is unrealistic. It is not the job of an Archbishop to be chasing round for the care of unknown individuals. Care in the C of E is delegated to the parish priest, if necessary under the guidance of the bishop.

Canon Dr. Michael Green is a British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than 50 books. He resides with his wife in Oxford

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