Croeso! Or perhaps not

Jeffrey John was to become Bishop of Reading five years ago, but was strong-armed into stepping down. Because he's gay, of course. What else would exercise the loony end of the Anglican Church so much?

Now that he's in line to become Bishop of Bangor in Wales, it looks as if it's going to be 2003 all over again.

There's this nutcase called Peter Jones, who is treasurer of Bangor Cathedral and a vicar in the diocese. He doesn't like the idea of John's becoming his bishop – not one little bit. Scripture and all that – even though John is celibate with his partner, the Rev. Grant Holmes, whom he married two years ago.

"As such," says The Times, "he meets the requirements under Anglican teaching that homosexuals should be celibate."

Well you just can't satisfy some people. As we said in our post about penis-fencing whales and self-fellating kangaroos yesterday, it just doesn't matter that being gay is natural, and therefore, in the eyes of religious folk, part of God's creation. No, they obviously believe their all-powerful, all-loving god created gays so he could use the rest of his creation to throw rocks at them.

Anyway, this Jones tosser is quoted by The Times as having told another UK daily, Wales's Western Mail, "I would be strongly opposed to the appointment. Jeffrey John is a strong advocate of changing the Church’s traditional teaching on homosexuality and I accept the teaching of Holy Scripture that homosexual acts are wrong. Therefore to have someone deliberately seek to undermine that teaching – that is clearly not someone who is suitable to hold office as a bishop in the Church of God."

But what do you mean by traditional, Mr Jones? The Rev. Martin Reynolds, a priest in Wales and a spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, tells The Times (and this is nothing we did not already know, but it's as well to remind the bigoted from time to time) that many traditional teachings in the Bible, such as severe punishments for adultery, are no longer observed literally. Which is just as well, since half our politicians would end up stoned.

Come to think of it, I bet there are a few vicars wearing polycotton shirts (mixed fibres), too, and eating prawns and pork, though not necessarily at the same time.

Which all goes to show that they'll cite biblical tosh when it suits them, and conveniently ignore it when it doesn't.