Williams agreed to appoint gay bishop
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.The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, twice verbally approved the appointment of the gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John as bishop of Reading, it was revealed last night.
Dr Williams told the Bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries, twice by telephone that he was prepared to appoint Dr John.
The disclosure comes a year after Dr John was forced to stand down from his post of suffragan bishop because of a wave of protest from Anglican dioceses around the world.
A spokesman for Lambeth palace said last night the church had "always made clear" the involvement of Dr Williams in the appointment followed "normal process in the appointment of a suffragan bishop".
Dr Williams' approval has been recorded in a book by Stephen Bates, The Guardian's religious affairs correspondent.
Dr Williams said forcing Dr John to step down was a "very hard decision to take". He said he wrongly believed "the diocese was more behind the appointment than seemed to be the case" when sanctioning it.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments