Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, who was previously criticised in an investigation involving disgraced bishop Peter Ball, has had his ban on being a minister overturned.
The 85-year-old said his permission to officiate as a priest was reinstated by the Bishop of Oxford, seven months after it was initially withdrawn when new information emerged linking Lord Carey to the late John Smyth QC, who allegedly abused boys at Christian camps.
Lord Carey was not accused of carrying out any abuse himself, and said at the time that he was "bewildered and dismayed" at having the ban imposed.
He was previously criticised by the Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) when he was found to have suppressed the truth about - and shown compassion for - Ball, formerly the Bishop of Lewes.
Ball was jailed in 2015 for sexually abusing 18 young men over three decades.
Police had been planning to question barrister Mr Smyth when he died in South Africa in 2018 at the age of 77.
In a statement, Lord Carey said: "Following helpful and friendly discussions with the Bishop of Oxford, I am pleased to say that my permission to officiate has been reinstated.
"(The National Safeguarding Team of the Church of England) concluded that, as a result of this investigation and further training that I have recently undertaken, they believe I do not pose a safeguarding risk."
Lord Carey said he has "no memory at all" of Mr Smyth, adding: "I am fully committed to placing those who have survived abuse at the centre of our safe practices, thoughts and prayers, and to acknowledge how dreadful such abuse is and how lifelong the impact of such abuse."
