Priest bows out
The week's news at a glance.
Oxford, England
The first openly gay man to be selected as a bishop in the Church of England stepped down this week. The Rev. Jeffrey John, 50, was appointed last month, but declined the post because of “the damage my consecration might cause to the unity of the church.” The leader of the church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said angry churchgoers sent him a stack of “very unsavory” letters that “displayed a shocking level of ignorance and hatred” toward gays. A lay preacher who spearheaded opposition to John’s appointment said he was right to resign, because the Bible teaches that “the only acceptable place for sexual intercourse is heterosexual marriage.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The WW2 ‘massacre’ dividing Senegal and France
Under the Radar A new investigation found the 1944 Thiaroye attack on ‘unarmed’ African soldiers was ‘premeditated’, and far deadlier than previously recorded
-
Political cartoons for October 22
Cartoons Wednesday's editorial cartoons include Donald Trump's construction at the White House, tariffs, and a new investment option
-
What is Donald Trump planning in Latin America?
Today’s Big Question US ramps up feud with Colombia over drug trade, while deploying military in the Caribbean to attack ships and increase tensions with Venezuela