Gay priest 'forced to resign'

Canon Jeffrey John says he is now celibate

Friends of the gay priest who turned down the post of Bishop of Reading say he was forced to step down.

Canon Jeffrey John withdrew his acceptance of the post following a lengthy meeting with the Church of England leaders.

He said he had made the decision because of the "damage" his consecration might cause to the "unity of the Church".

But his colleague, Dean of Southwark Colin Slee, said Dr John had come under severe pressure to resign - even being presented with a ready-made resignation letter - and would never have gone under his own initiative.

Mr Slee said Dr John's departure was a "catastrophe" for the Church's image.

Empty churches may well be empty because of the image that we are presenting of narrowness and bigotry and prejudice

Dean of Southwark Colin Slee

"There are many people who look at the Christian church and they see the extreme evangelical churches and think 'that is certainly not for me, thank you very much', Mr Slee told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"The people talk about empty churches. Empty churches may well be empty because of the image that we are presenting of narrowness and bigotry and prejudice.

"This is not a bad message simply for gay people. This is a bad message for many heterosexual and open-minded and intelligent Christians."

Conservative and evangelical church leaders are due to meet on Monday night in Dr John's Reading diocese.

They had been due to discuss Dr John's appointment, but are now expected to discuss the global liberalisation of the Church more generally.

Damaging row

The appointment of Dr John had caused an enormous row among the Church's 70-million members worldwide, with the Church in Nigeria for instance threatening to break away if the appointment stood.

On Sunday Dr Rowan Williams said the row had been very difficult for the Church.

"This has been a time of open and painful confrontation, in which some of our bonds of mutual trust have been severely strained," he said.

But he said there would have been difficulties consecrating a bishop "whose ministry would not be readily received by a significant proportion of Christians in England and elsewhere".

Dr Williams praised the priest for his "dignity"

Dr Williams, who had not personally objected to Dr John's appointment, made it clear homosexuals "are full and welcome members of the Church".

And he said some of the opposition to the appointment had been "very unsavoury indeed", and showed "foolish and hurtful prejudice".

Dr John has been in a relationship with a man for 27 years, but says it is now a celibate relationship.

Opinion divided

Joel Edwards, of The Evangelical Alliance, welcomed the news saying this was "definitely in the interests of the church."

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said the victory for traditionalists prove short-lived.

The US may make the blessing of gay relationships official policy within the next few weeks, and confirm the election of an actively homosexual bishop, he said.

Current Church policy is that gay clergy must not express their sexuality, although lay members are allowed to have monogamous gay relationships.

Dr John's announcement came after the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, said he had ordained two bishops he "suspected" were gay in the 1990s but he had "never knowingly ordained a practising homosexual".