Bishop of Bermuda The Rt. Rev. Ewan Ratteray has given outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury a warm tribute, despite holding different views from the liberal Church of England head.

The Most Rev. George Carey, 66, will retire in October after a decade bedevilled by controversy over women priests, gay clergy and the church's mounting financial problems.

He was the first Archbishop to visit Bermuda, coming in 1996 for Bishop Ratteray's ceremonial appointment as head of the Island's Anglican Church.

During his visit he called for racial unity and expressed joy that the Island was appointing a local head but he attacked the Island's work permit policy which hindered priests from overseas swapping posts.

Bishop Ratteray said yesterday: "I had personal reasons to be grateful, he consecrated me bishop in 1996 and has been supportive of me all through that time with advice and prayers and I am grateful for that.

"He's a good man and a good bishop. He's forthright in his opinions - he believed what he believed, but I didn't always agree with him."

Asked about the general direction Archbishop Carey had taken the church in Bishop Ratteray said: "I am not so happy with that, my views are well known."

Bishop Ratteray refused to say how he would like the next Archbishop to behave.

He said: "I would not presume to say what the successor should do. I only heard about this literally two minutes ago."

The Rev. Anthony Roberts, of St. Paul's Church in Paget, said Archbishop Carey's tenure had been exciting and he hoped his successor would keep up the good work.

He said: "Many of the new initiatives in worship and talking to other denominations have brought new life in the parishes and hopefully that will continue."He said the mixing of modern language and music in services with traditional forms had been a positive step.

He added that George Carey was a man of great faith and great humanism.

"He valued Christians and people of other faiths too. He always wanted to make faith real for new Christians."