England's Highest Ranking Gay May Sue Church

By Diane Anderson-Minshall

News reports in today's issue of England's The Guardian indicate that Jeffrey John, the Church of England's most senior gay cleric, is considering a lawsuit against the church unless he's made bishop. John is a celibate priest who has been in a long-term relationship with another cleric. He was named bishop of Reading in 2003 but the appointment was revoked after complaints from conservative evangelicals. Then two years ago, he was stopped from becoming the bishop of Southwark, according to The Guardian, after the archbishops of Canterbury and York objected.

Media reports claim John was "so exasperated at his treatment that he had hired Alison Downie, an employment and discrimination law specialist and partner at the law firm Goodman Derrick, to fight his case under equality law."

According to many legal experts in the U.K., John has little chance of winning a suit."Churches can't be forced to employ people where a significant number of the religion's followers object on theological grounds," said employment law specialist Daniel Barnett. He argued that John would have a difficult time proving his case.

Most insiders say John's case hinges on a "damning" internal memo written by Rev Colin Sleea, former dean of Southwark Cathedral, which, says The Guardian, "lays bare the divisions over sexuality at the very top of the church." In it, Sleea claims the archbishops of Canterbury and York "behaved very badly" and were intent on wrecking John's chances of becoming bishop.