Bishop widens church rift on homosexual priests
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rifts within the Church of England deepened last night as a former bishop voiced his support for homosexual priests.
Dr John Austin Baker, the former Bishop of Salisbury, warned of splits within the Church unless the issue was addressed. He was speaking after gay-rights activists scaled the walls of Lambeth Palace on Sunday to confront Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over the Church's stance on homosexuals.
Speaking at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Dr Baker said he disagreed with the statement by the House of Bishops in 1991 that someone in a gay relationship could not be a priest: "The bishops saw same-sex erotic relationships as incompatible with the clerical vocation ... I find myself obliged to now dissent from that judgement." In a statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury described Dr Baker's speech as "a very significant departure from the Church's current mind". Ian Burrell
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments