Gay priest thanks supporters

Dr John: "Avalanche of kindness has left me all the more saddened"

The gay priest who rejected the post of Bishop of Reading has thanked the public for an "avalanche of kindness" shown towards him.

Speaking out for the first time since withdrawing his candidacy, Canon Jeffrey John said in a letter written to the Reading Chronicle, that he had been "saddened and disappointed" not to become bishop of the Berkshire town.

His nomination by the Bishop of Oxford caused a bitter row within the Church of England and eventually led to Dr John saying he feared his consecration would damage the "unity of the Church".

Dr John, who has been with his partner for 27 years, said hundreds of local well-wishers had written to him, including a number who wanted to leave the Church in protest at his exclusion.

We have to keep loving those who hurt and reject us Canon Jeffrey John Read Dr John's letter in full

His letter said: "I have received literally thousands of messages, including many hundreds from the Reading area.

"The overwhelming majority of them have been friendly and supportive."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, paid tribute to Dr John and the decision to withdraw, praising his "dignity and forbearance".

He said homosexuals were "full and welcome members of the Church".

'Welcoming and accepting'

Dr John's letter goes on to say: "This avalanche of kindness has left me all the more saddened and disappointed that I cannot now come to serve you as your bishop.

"Many of those who have written to me since the withdrawal of my nomination have said that they are tempted to leave the Church in disgust.

"That is a reaction I understand all too well, but it is not the way.

"We have to keep praying, keep making our communion, keep studying the scriptures, keep loving those who hurt and reject us."

General Synod

Gay rights campaigners, including Peter Tatchell, disrupted the Church of England's General Synod on Saturday in protest at what they saw as its homophobia over the row.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had said the meeting of Anglican leaders in York was the wrong time to discuss the dispute, especially without Dr John present.

Instead, Dr Williams called for more tolerance in the church, which he described as a "mosaic of groups" and "a company of unlikely people".

The Archbishop of Nigeria, the leader of the world's biggest Anglican community, had threatened to break ties with Lambeth Palace if Dr John's appointment went ahead.