The Hindu : Gay Bishop not to assume post

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 07, 2003

International

International - Globescan

Gay Bishop not to assume post

LONDON: An openly gay clergyman, whose appointment as a Bishop divided the Anglican Church, has decided not to take up his post, a Church of England spokesman said on Sunday. A spokesman for the Bishop of Oxford said Rev. Jeffrey John planned to seek permission from Queen Elizabeth II to withdraw his acceptance of his appointment as Bishop of Reading in the diocese of Oxford. Rev. John's selection by Rev. Harries in May divided the Church, with several Anglican Bishops from around the world saying the appointment violated Church teaching that gay sex is ``incompatible with Scripture.'' Rev. John has said he is in a long-term relationship with another man but that he has been celibate since the 1990s and would uphold Church policy on sexuality. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said last month that Rev. John's appointment did not violate Church of England teachings. But his predecessor, George Carey, said he would not have approved the selection. ``I'm very distressed by the situation. I would have followed the rule book,'' he said on Sunday. — AP

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