Church of England expresses "deep shame and regret" over sex assaults by Peter Ball when he was working as a bishop

A retired Church of England bishop has been jailed for a string of offences against teenagers and young men.

Peter Ball, 83, was sentenced to 32 months for misconduct in public office and 15 months for indecent assaults, to run concurrently.

The former Bishop of Lewes and Bishop of Gloucester used "religion as a cloak" to carry out the abuse between the 1970s and 1990s, the court heard.

The Church of England said there were "no excuses" .... http://www.bbc.com