THE servants of God should be employed to keep watch on those of Mammon, according to Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Clergy should sit on boards of big companies as moral guardians to prevent financial scandals in Britain, he claimed.

Speaking to The Times at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos, he said that the weakening of institutional religion in the West had contributed to fraud and the abuse of power in the corporate world with scandals such as Enron and Worldcom.

“If you don’t grow up learning right from wrong, you don’t have that feeling that there is a line which you shouldn’t cross,” he said.

“This is where religion and spirituality have a very relevant message. The Christian doctrine of original sin means that each one of us is basically weak. If you put too many temptations in people’s way, don’t be surprised if certain people cave in.”

He was commenting on the latest rash of business scandals that have dominated the agenda in Davos. Lord Carey added that while many business people were good individuals, there were a small number of corrupt people who were destroying public trust in the business world.

“I am not surprised by Parmalat. This will continue until we strengthen the moral conscience of society and strengthen scrutiny within business,” he said.

There were many Anglican priests with business experience, including former accountants, who could help directors to achieve the highest standards of accountability, he said. They could have the same status as independent non-executive directors, who provide a check on executives, and would not require a fee.

Lord Carey was less confident that people would forgive errant business leaders. “When people fall short and it brings down others, it is very difficult to forgive. Look at Robert Maxwell, he brought down the Daily Mirror pension fund.”

Asked if he thought the late proprietor was in Hell, he said: “I would have thought so. I don’t know. Look, God is a God of love. I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision.”

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