Legal fight bid over rejection of bishop

SUPPORTERS of gay cleric Jeffrey John have taken legal advice on the possibility of a court challenge to a Church in Wales decision not to appoint him Bishop of Llandaff.

Dr John has accused other bishops of turning him down because of his sexuality and because he is in a civil partnership.

Last month Dr John failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority in a Church in Wales electoral college vote to choose a new Bishop of Llandaff.

Under Church rules, the other Welsh bishops will now decide who to appoint.

John Davies, the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon and president of the electoral college, has written to Dr John saying he has been excluded from the process. Dr John has attributed his rejection to the fear of a homophobic backlash.

Rev Martin Reynolds, who has known Dr John for 40 years, said: “I have been informed that three electors from North Wales have taken legal advice and are seeking to set aside the deliberations of the last electoral college.

“The Llandaff election took place with a declaration that gay and partner candidates would be considered, so the full panoply of equalities legislation falls on the college. This does not allow candidates’ sexuality or civil partnership status to be used to disqualify them and apparently they are saying that the college did hear from those who used Jeffrey John’s sexuality as a direct reason and an indirect reason for him not to be appointed.

“This, they argue, makes the electoral college deliberations unlawful and void.”

Meanwhile LGBT campaign group One Body One Voice has urged the bishops to rescind their decision and six Welsh Labour MPs have also written to the bishops, asking them to pause the process.

A Church in Wales spokeswoman said: “No one candidate secured the necessary two-thirds majority to be elected Bishop of Llandaff. The appointment will now be made by the Church’s bishops.

“After a process of consultation, they have drawn up a shortlist of names which is confidential. However, the bishops strongly deny allegations of homophobia.”