Priest bows out

last updated 8 January 2015

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.”