The Church of England homosexual cleric at the centre of a major furore in 2003 when he was elected as the Bishop of Reading, has secretly “married” another Anglican priest.

|TOP|The Very Rev Jeffrey John, who is the current Dean of St Albans, was made to step down as the Bishop of Reading in 2003 following an overwhelming outcry from Anglicans worldwide against his appointment.

Last week, the controversial cleric took part in a Civil Partnership ceremony at a local register office with Rev Grant Holmes, who is a hospital chaplain.

Although the move has been welcomed by gay rights campaigners, it is sure to further ignite the warring within the Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality in the Church.

The civil ceremony is not thought to have been followed by any form of religious blessing, although the clerics wore their clerical collars during the process. In addition, the private event was deliberately kept discreet to avoid full media attention.

The move will see the gay couple receive, in many ways, the same legal rights as any other married couple.

|QUOTE|However, the development is likely to stir up further dismay among more conservative members of the Church, who remain faithful to the traditional biblical teachings that homosexuality is a sin, and in particular, those who believe that the Civil Partnership Act undermines the sacrament of marriage.

Dr John is a cathedral dean and therefore very senior in the ranking of Anglican clergymen. His decision to enter into a civil partnership will only heat the debate on the impact such a partnership between gay clergy might have on the Anglican Communion worldwide.

The spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is a very close friend of Dr John. The move, however, will only make his job that much more difficult, as he continues in efforts to prevent a full global split in the Communion.

Last year a Pastoral Statement issued by the House of Bishops on the implications of the Civil Partnership Act for the Church received condemnation by many Christian leaders as its guidelines gave the go-ahead to Church of England gay clergy to register their civil union so long as they took a vow to abstain from sexual relations and remain celibate.

|AD|Hence, Dr John is not barred from entering a civil partnership under these guidelines issued by the House of Bishops because he has said that he and his partner no longer engage in sexual activity.

Following the guidance by the House of Bishops last year, Reform, a network of evangelical Anglicans within the Church of England stated: “When two people of the same sex engage in a civil partnership as defined by the Act, then there is a presumption – at least in the public mind – of sexual intimacy. This will apply whether or not Bishops ask for reassurances from affected clergy about their celibacy.

“For the vast majority applying for a Civil Partnership it will only confirm the desire for recognition and affirmation of a lifestyle that is incompatible with Scripture.”

The statement also warned against putting the Church into a precarious position: “The fact that Bishops are prepared to accept that licensed ministry is compatible with registration under the Act is a mistake because it opens the church to the accusation of permitting something the Bible sees as scandalous.”

Reform continued: “It may encourage couples to be deceitful about their relationships; and it will be widely seen as collusion with a fiction that couples registered under the Act are not engaging in sexual relations.

“Many in the church will be ashamed of this pastoral statement; it will certainly make collaborative ministry less possible and it will cause suspicion about the Bishop’s own attachment to traditional teaching.”

Conservative Christian leaders in Africa and Asia are also certain to complain to Dr Williams that such a senior figure has taken advantage of the change in the law which, they say, is unbiblical.