Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has admitted he deserves criticism for his role in the case of a bishop convicted of sexual assault, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Separately, it has also emerged that Carey's son, a Church of England priest, has been arrested on suspicion of historic child sex abuse.
Lord Carey was warned to expect "explicit criticism" over claims abuse committed by the then Bishop of Gloucester, Peter Ball, were covered up by the Church of England on his watch.
According to the Telegraph, a source close to him said he accepted that he would be criticised for his handling of the case.
"He knows he will be criticised and he knows he will be criticised rightly," the source said.
"Clearly the Church didn't handle it well and Lord Carey was naive in trusting Peter Ball. "The acknowledgment now is he wasn't doing the Christian thing by the victims of Ball. He would accept he didn't discharge the pastoral duties to the victims very well."
Carey has denied a cover-up.
He has been granted 'core participation' status by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and will now be represented by his own Church-funded lawyer.
A Church of England spokesman said: "We continue to work with the Inquiry in an open and transparent way, complying with the information requests relating to Bishop Peter Ball and other Church of England investigations.
"We have arranged for Lord Carey to receive independent legal advice and are paying his legal fees from central funding. This is all part of our commitment to the important work of the Inquiry in hearing the voices of survivors and looking at institutional failings."
Carey's son Rev Mark Carey, 51, was arrested at his home in Harrogate on suspicion of historic child sex abuse claims. His alleged victim, who is now in her 30s, reportedly claimed she was assaulted when Carey was in his late teens.
Carey has been bailed by police and suspended by the Church of England while inquiries continue.
