Gay priest might sue Anglican Church for discrimination
The Dean of St Albans, Dr. Jeffrey John, has threatened to sue the Anglican Church after being denied the chance to become a bishop on two separate occasions. In both cases, he felt his sexuality was the deciding factor.
In 2003, John was forced to step down from becoming Bishop of Reading when his sexuality became the point of protest for Church traditionalists. Seven years later his candidacy for the position of Bishop of Southwark was rejected; evidence, in the form of a leaked memo, seemed to indicate his homosexuality was the reason.
Reverend George Pitcher said that John's plan of legal action was a huge mistake, and that it "threatens, in his impatience and ill temper, to put back the cause of homosexuals in the church by a couple of decades, maybe more."
"Dr John's putative litigation smacks of naked ambition dressed up as equality campaigning," he added. "His cause isn't served by taking the Church of England to court and polarising Anglican prejudices again."
In 2011, the Church of England reviewed its policy on whether gay clergy could be ordained as bishops. It was determined that there was no explicit ban in place, as long as the individual being considered was not sexually active while in the priesthood. (And didn't lisp. And didn't enjoy RuPaul. And didn't like pink. And didn't ... well, you get the picture.)
Jeffrey John can't be a bishop just because he's gay [Daily Mail]
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