Gay Canon hands back post as Bishop

THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, called for a "pause for thought" yesterday after gay priest Canon Jeffrey John, announced he was withdrawing his acceptance of the post of the Bishop of Reading.

Dr John's decision followed weeks of controversy and infighting in the Church of England and intense pressure from the Anglican Communion.

Senior clerics had warned the Anglican church could break up if Dr John was appointed and a number of bishops wrote a joint letter to air their protests.

At Lambeth Palace yesterday, Dr Williams paid tribute to Dr John and the "dignity and forbearance" he had shown "often under the most intrusive and distasteful personal scrutiny".

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

"We need now to give ourselves the proper opportunities honestly to think through what has happened and to find what God has been teaching us in these difficult days."

He said Dr John's appointment had brought to light a good deal of unhappiness among people who could by no means be described as extremists, many of whom had willingly testified to their personal respect for the Canon.

"They are convinced, however, that there is a basic issue at stake relating to the consistency of our policy and our doctrine in the Church of England and that this issue has arisen in this particular case in a way for which there are no obvious parallels."

He said the divisions existed not only at Diocesan and national level but internationally as well.

Dr Williams said some of the opposition to the appointment had been "very unsavoury indeed" and showed that the level of "foolish and hurtful prejudice in our society is still uncomfortably high."

In his letter to the Bishop of Oxford, Dr John wrote that because of the damage his consecration might cause to Church unity, he wanted to seek the consent of the Crown to withdraw his acceptance of the appointment.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Richard Harries, wrote in response that he received the letter with "great sadness" and was "aware of the immense pressures" that Dr John had faced.

The Bishop of Oxford's spokesman said Dr John's decision was due to pressure from the Anglican Communion and pressure overseas.

The spokesman added that Dr John was away for the weekend and when he returned he would continue his work in the Diocese of Southwark."