Cleric Jeffrey John allegedly denied promotion in the church because of sexuality
Gay cleric Jeffrey John has said that the Anglican church has denied him a promotion because of his sexuality.
The Dean of St Albans Cathedral in Wales applied to become a bishop but was rejected, sparking the cleric to write a letter calling the church out for its “anti-gay discrimination”.
The claims come after the Church of England denied reports that Jeffrey John was set to become the Bishop of Durham in 2013.
In the letter, John claims that the only arguments brought against his application were “directly related to my homosexuality and/or civil partnership”.
“My appointment would bring unwelcome and unsettling publicity to the diocese, and that it might create difficulties for the future Archbishop in relation to the Anglican Communion,” the cleric wrote.
John went on to write that these arguments were unjustified.
“The injustice of the arguments about publicity and the Anglican Communion was pointed out to you several times. This is precisely the way that anti-gay discrimination always works,” he said.
John won more than half of the votes for the role in the first hearing, but needed to secure two thirds of the vote to become Bishop.
In the letter, John is open about his celibate relationship with another member of the church – a relationship that is compatible with church regulations.
The cleric claims that the Electoral College asked for applicants but did not “consider” them, something he deems a “ludicrous breach of process”.
“Nevertheless, at your meeting last week you decided, arbitrarily, to ignore the submissions that you had asked for, and to declare that those who were discussed at the Electoral College were now, in fact, no longer to be considered.
“This is a clear and ludicrous breach of process, and a further insult to the people of the diocese, and very many others who took the trouble to contribute their view.”
The cleric finishes the letter calling for an examination of the process before appointing the new Bishop of Llandaff.
“I trust there will now be an open and honest examination of this process in the light of day, and that you will not attempt to appoint a bishop for Llandaff until it is complete.”
