Gay churchman's job offer withdrawn

A cathedral verger had a job offer retracted shortly after it was revealed that he lived with his homosexual partner, it was claimed today.

Lee Taylor, a verger at England's Southwark Cathedral in London, applied for the position of assistant verger at St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire in May this year.

He claimed he was offered the job verbally by the Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev Wyn Evans, but the offer was rescinded when Mr Taylor said his live-in partner would be joining him, The Times newspaper reported.

“I went from feeling successful when they offered me the job to feeling very unworthy,” he told the paper.

“They gave me something and then took it away again.”

The Rev Roger Hughes, from St Davids, said he could not comment on specifics about the case, but added: “Mr Taylor is not coming to work at St Davids at this present time.”

He said the position of assistant verger had been filled by a woman, but would not disclose her marital status.

Mr Hughes went on: “The Dean of St Davids, The Very Reverend Wyn Evans, and the Cathedral are aware of reports concerning Mr Lee Taylor and his application of May 2004 for the post of assistant verger at St Davids Cathedral in the Diocese of St Davids.

“The concerns aired are matters of discussion and consideration between the Dean and his appropriate colleagues.”

Dean Evans did concede that he told Mr Taylor it was not appropriate to have someone with a live-in partner residing as a verger.

But he insisted that this rule applied to heterosexual as well as homosexual couples.

A spokeswoman for Southwark Cathedral confirmed Mr Taylor still worked as a verger for the London cathedral but refused to comment further on the matter.

St Davids Cathedral is built on the site of St David’s 6th century monastery and has been considered a site of pilgrimage and worship for centuries.