Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has stepped down as a priest at the age of 89.

Lord Carey reportedly quit after the BBC contacted him over allegations he allowed priest David Tudor, who had been banned in the late 1980s over sexual abuse allegations, to return to ministry under supervision.

Lord Carey wrote in his resignation letter that it was an "honour to serve" and gave "thanks to God for his enduring faithfulness".

The Diocese of Oxford said in a statement sent to Reuters that Carey had retired from his ministry and relinquished his PTO on Dec. 4.

Tudor was banned from ministry for life by a Church tribunal in October this year after admitting sexual misconduct.

Lord Carey's resignation comes after outgoing archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby stepped down last month over a separate case, saying he had failed to ensure a proper investigation into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.

The Church of England's incoming leader, Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, has also been urged to quit for his handling of Tudor's case.

Cottrell is due to take over temporarily next month from Welby as archbishop of Canterbury. He said in a statement that he had not had legal grounds to suspend Tudor until nine years later, when police arrested him.