Ten Church of England clergy face disciplinary action

Lord Carey resigned as a Church of England priest in December

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey is among a number of clergy facing disciplinary action over safeguarding failures after a report into prolific abuser John Smyth, the Church of England has announced.

The list also includes the former Bishop of Durham Paul Butler and Rev Andrew Cornes - who was due to be on the selection panel to pick the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

Smyth, who died in 2018, used horrific violence to attack boys at his Winchester home in the 1970s and 1980s, a report into his abuse found.

The report led to the eventual resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury in November after it found he should have reported Smyth's abuse to police in 2013.

• Church covered up 'abhorrent' abuse, report finds

The Church's National Safeguarding Team (NST) said two other members of clergy have not yet had their actions reviewed because of "ongoing processes".

Almost 30 other clergy criticised in the report will not face disciplinary action because there was "insufficient evidence to meet the threshold for disciplinary proceedings", it added.

A long-awaited report into Smyth's abuse, the Makin review, was released last year and concluded he was thought to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.

Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.

The barrister and senior member of a Christian charity then moved to Zimbabwe and later South Africa, where he abused up to 100 boys aged 13 to 17, the Makin review added.

On publication of the findings, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, Mr Welby, apologised to victims and said Smyth's abuse had "manipulated Christian truth to justify his evil acts".

However, the review concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported allegations to police in 2013.

Mr Welby had resisted calls to step aside over his response to the case since 2013. But amid mounting pressure once the report was published, he eventually said must take "personal and institutional responsibility" and resigned last year.

Lord Carey was also named in the Makin review, which concluded abuse carried out for decades by Smyth was known about and not acted upon by various people within the Church.

He resigned as a priest in December following an investigation into the Church of England's handling of a separate sexual abuse case. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002.

Others named include Rev Sue Colman, who is the wife of the Colman's mustard heir Sir Jamie Colman.

The Makin report concluded Mrs Colman, associate minister at St Leonard's Church in Oakley, near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was aware of Smyth's abuse before being ordained and noted that she and her husband visited Smyth in Africa in the 1990s and funded the Smyths through a personal trust.

The full list of clergy to face disciplinary action includes:

• Bishop Paul Butler

• Bishop George Carey

• Rev Roger Combes

• Rev Sue Colman

• Rev Andrew Cornes

• Rev Tim Hastie-Smith

• Rev Hugh Palmer

• Rev Paul Perkin

• Rev Nick Stott

• Rev John Woolmer

Disciplinary proceedings are being pursued "out of time" as the allegations occurred more than 12 months ago - the current limit on cases being brought.

Results of a clergy disciplinary measure can range from a conditional discharge, where no penalty is imposed, to removal from office, resignation by consent and a lifetime ban from ministry.

Alexander Kubeyinje, the Church of England's national director of safeguarding, said survivors and victims had endured lifelong effects from Smyth's "appalling abuse".

"We have announced next steps in the process looking at both risk and disciplinary processes," he added.

Smyth had also worked as a barrister representing morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse whilst he ran the camps for young evangelical Christians.

Reports of his physical abuse of boys were first revealed in an investigation by Channel 4 News, in February 2017.

Smyth and his wife Anne were excommunicated by his local church in Cape Town, South Africa, the year before he died.

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