TRUTH (or legal consequences?): Church of England rules gay men in civil partnerships can become bishops

¨Gay clergy in civil partnerships will be allowed to become bishops if they are sexually abstinent, according to new policy¨

¨...The change was welcomed by Jeffrey John, dean of St Albans, whose decision to stand down from his appointment as bishop of Reading in July 2003 amid an outcry from church conservatives sparked a near decade of frenzied debate. John is in a long-term relationship with another clergyman, which he has affirmed is celibate. The pair had a civil ceremony in 2006.
John said: "If it is genuinely true that all levels of ordained ministry are now more open to gay people than they were before, then this is a very good thing."

Shortly after John stepped down as bishop of Reading, the issue became still more contentious after the US Episcopal Church approved the appointment of the openly gay Gene Robinson as a bishop.

There has been speculation that bishops eventually felt under pressure to move owing to the possibility of John taking legal action on equalities grounds after he was passed over to become bishop of Southwark in 2010...¨ please read it all, HERE

Thanks to Three Rivers Episcopal, sidebar
Thanks to The Guardian, United Kingdom
Thanks to The Very Reverend Jeffrey John