BRITAIN: A gay Anglican clergyman, whose appointment as the Church of England's first openly homosexual bishop threatened a worldwide split in the church, announced yesterday he would not take up the post.
Canon Jeffrey John was appointed as Bishop of Reading last month, sparking anger from conservative members of the church and renewing divisive debate among Anglicans on questions of sex and homosexuality.
In a move that could defuse the crisis, Canon John said he had decided after discussions with the diocese and the spiritual head of the church, Archbishop of Canterbury Right Rev Rowan Williams, not to take up the role.
"It has become clear to me that in view of the damage my consecration might cause to the unity of the church, including the Anglican Communion, I must seek the consent of the Crown to withdraw acceptance of my appointment," he wrote in a letter to Right Rev Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, whose diocese includes Reading, near London.
Speaking after Canon John refused his new post, The Archbishop of Canterbury sought to both explain and repair the damage done by the appointment. "John's appointment has brought to light a good deal of unhappiness among people who could by no means be described as extremists.
"Such unhappiness means there is an obvious problem in the consecration of a bishop whose ministry will not be readily received by a significant proportion of Christians in England and elsewhere," he said.
But he warned worshippers that Canon John's withdrawal should not mean the church can become complacent about "the will of God in this area of ethics".
The head of the Church of Nigeria, the world's largest Anglican congregation, threatened to break away over the issue of homosexuality, while a senior Archbishop in Australia has also attacked the decision to appoint gay bishops.
Canon John had earlier insisted he would take up the post and remain in a relationship with his male partner. He has said he is celibate although in a committed 27-year relationship.
"It's an enormously sad day for us. I think it's a sad day for the Church of England, the Anglican Communion," Mr Richard Thomas, a spokesman for the Bishop of Oxford, told BBC Radio.