The bishops of the Church of England have been unable to agree on rules for the promotion of gay clergy.
So what should they have decided?
At present, the rules say that only celibate gay men can be considered for the job, but a legal opinion obtained to help them sets out a row of additional considerations that appear specifically designed to exclude Dr Jeffrey John, the most famous gay priest in England, from ever being promoted.
According to the church's lawyers, it is perfectly legal – despite the equality laws – to consider "whether the candidate had always complied with the Church's teachings on same-sex sexual activity" [John has not]; "whether he was in a civil partnership" [John is]; "whether he was in a continuing civil partnership with a person with whom he had had an earlier same-sex sexual relationship" [John is]; "whether he had expressed repentance for any previous same-sex sexual activity" [John has not]; "whether (and to what extent) the appointment of the candidate would cause division and disunity within the diocese in question, the Church of England, and the wider Anglican Communion".
Obviously, all these highly priced lawyers must be right about the law.
But is their project sensible?
Is it just?
Is it Christian?
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