Church of England to drop ban on gay bishops

The Church of England's House of Bishops has announced that it is to end a ban on gay clergy in civil partnerships becoming bishops providing they promise to be celibate.

However, Conservative evangelical Anglicans say they will strongly resist the development in the synod. They have warned they would be willing to bring in bishops from overseas to avoid serving under a gay bishop.

In November, the Bishop of Durham Justin Welby, appointed to succeed Dr Rowan Williams as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, said the Church of England must have “no truck with any form of homophobia”.

The issue has split the church since 2003 amid a row over gay cleric Jeffrey John becoming Bishop of Reading. Mr John, now Dean of St Albans, was forced to step down from the role after protests from traditionalists. He was also a candidate for Bishop of Southwark in 2010 but was rejected. Evidence emerged that this was because of his sexual orientation.

The Church has already agreed to allow people in civil partnerships to become clergy, provided they promised they would remain celibate, and repent for active homosexuality in the past. Those conditions are now to be extended to clergy becoming bishops.