The Church of England has issued legal guidance confirming that homosexuality should not be a barrier to becoming a bishop.
The guidance, called Choosing Bishops, seeks to bring church policy up to speed with the Equality Act.
It sets down in writing what has been church practice for some years by stating that openly gay clergy can become bishops so long as they are celibate.
“A person’s sexual orientation is, in itself, irrelevant to their suitability for episcopal office or indeed ordained ministry more generally,” it reads.
“It would be wrong if account were taken of the fact that a candidate had identified himself as of gay sexual orientation.
“As a matter of law, however, the [Equality] Act allows Churches and religious organizations to impose a requirement that someone should not be in a civil partnership or impose a requirement related to sexual orientation [according to the nature of the office].”
It then reiterates previous guidelines issued by the Church of England which draw a distinction between homosexual activity and homosexual attractions. {eoa}
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