THE former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned his official role in the Church of England after damning criticisms of church "collusion" in sexual abuse of young men.

Lord George Carey has today stepped down from his role as honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford.

On Thursday of last week the current Archbishop, Justin Welby, asked his predeccessor to "consider his position" following the publication of the Gibb report into the Church's handling of the case of former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball.

Ball was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 young men aged between 17 and 25, to whom he had acted as spiritual mentor 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 1992, establishment figures including Carey, cabinet ministers and a high court judge wrote letter and made phonecalls in support of Ball to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Ball was let go with a caution in 1993.

One of Ball’s victims, who told the Metropolitan Police of the suffering he had endured, killed himself in 2012.

A review commissioned by Archbishop Welby reported last week. The chairwomen, Dame Moira Gibb, said: "The church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.”

Following the release of the report, Archbishop Welby asked Lord Carey to "consider his position" and today in a statement the Rt. Rev Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, said he had met with Lord Carey who had resigned "in light of Dame Moira Gibb’s review into the Peter Ball case."

Lord Carey has not added to the statement he released on Thursday, in which he said: "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."