Vicar slams ‘homophobic’ church as he quits
A vicar in the Church of England has slammed the church for its “homophobic” practice and quit to be with his partner.
53-year-old Andrew Foreshew-Cain decided to leave the church which he has since branded “institutionally homophobic” in a move that he hopes will change the CofE’s policy on gay clergy members.
Foreshew-Cain resigned from his position as a parish priest and a member of the General Synod so that he could be with his partner, whom he is married to, when they move to Manchester.
The former vicar married his partner after being appointed and was told that he could not take up another position if he were to move he would be barred from another paid job.
He wrote a letter to members of the church expressing his “relief” over his decision, and insisted that unless the church changes its ways it will lose its status.
He added that himself and other gay and lesbian clergy members were “barely tolerated”.
“[The church is] an institutional homophobic organisation that kindly denies its policies and practices are deliberately and harmfully discriminatory and wrong.
“I am looking forward to no longer feeling that a significant part of me is rejected by the organisation that I work for and have served faithfully.”
He said that he had faced staunch homophobia, with a priest once telling him “I don’t believe you are a Christian.
“The Church of England is a national church. If it wishes to become a sect and draw up its own rules and not be part of the national life, it is perfectly at liberty to do that, but it can’t continue to claim a role in the national life if it is so at variance with the basic moral principles of the country,” he added.
