Church of England 'colluded' and hid bishop's sex abuse, says Justin Welby, by Alice Udale-Smith, Sky News (June 22, 2017)

The Church of England "colluded and concealed" the sexual abuse of young men by one of its bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

The Most Rev Justin Welby has offered an "unreserved apology" to the victims of Peter Ball, a former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester.

The Archbishop's statement came as the Church published an independent review, chaired by Dame Moira Gibb, of how it handled the case.

Mr Welby described the report as "harrowing reading" and said: "The Church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward.

"This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour... we can never be complacent; we must learn lessons."

The review was critical of Lord Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, and other senior figures within the Church.

Lord Carey has voluntarily stepped down from his role as an assistant bishop in Oxford after Mr Welby asked him to "review his position".

Ball pleaded guilty to a number of historical offences, including two counts of indecent assault, at the Old Bailey in 2015. He was jailed for 32 months.

The court was told Ball hand-picked 18 vulnerable victims to commit acts of "debasement" in the name of religion, including praying naked at the altar and encouraging them to submit to beatings.

The review stated: "The Church at its most senior levels and over many years supported [Ball] unwisely and displayed little care for his victims.

"Much of what we have described took place in different times and should be viewed from that perspective.

"But such perverse and sustained abuse by a senior figure in the Church and the Church's failure to safeguard so many boys and young men still casts a long shadow."

In particular, Lambeth Palace is criticised for only passing one of seven letters containing allegations against Ball to the police.

He was forced to resign from the clergy the following year after a police investigation into his treatment of then 16-year-old trainee monk, Neil Todd.

He received a police caution for a single act of gross indecency. Mr Todd took his own life in 2012.

Lord Carey was significantly involved in the way the Church treated Mr Todd, the report found.

In a September 1993 letter to Ball's twin brother, who was also a bishop, Lord Carey described Ball as "basically innocent" and said he had a "very high" regard for him.