Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has resigned following a damning report detailing how he 'colluded' in sex abuse with convicted former bishop Peter Ball.

George Carey accepted criticisms of him made in the report and apologised to victims as he quit as honorary assistant bishop in Oxford.

'I believed Peter Ball's protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations,' he said in a statement adding he regretted not putting Bishop Ball on a Lambeth Palace watch list of suspected abusers.

'I accept the criticisms made of me. I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball.'

It comes after current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby asked his predecessor to consider his position in light of the findings.

The report, Abuse of Faith, by Dame Moira Gibb is highly critical of the Church's handling of the 84-year-old former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, who was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 after admitting a string of historical sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men.

Following Ball's conviction Welby ordered the independent investigation that was published last week. It outlines eleven recommendations for the church including the right support for survivors, the leadership roles of bishops, strengthening guidance and the effectiveness of disciplinary measures regarding safeguarding.

'This report considers the serious sexual wrongdoing of Peter Ball...who abused many boys and men over a period of twenty years or more. That is shocking in itself but it is compounded by the failure of the Church to respond appropriately to his misconduct, again over a period of many years,' Dame Moira wrote in the report's foreword.

'Ball's priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused. The Church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.'

The present Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft said on Monday he had accepted Carey's resignation and vowed to put Dame Gibb's recommendations into practice.

'Along with many others, I have been deeply distressed to read Dame Moira Gibb's report with its narrative of the abuse perpetrated by Peter Ball which remained hidden for so long,' he said.

'I hope that the focus of attention will continue to be on the survivors of abuse and offering to them the care and support they need.'