RENEWED controversy within the Church of England has been set off by a suggestion of the former Bishop of Salisbury, Dr John Austin Baker, that it should be prepared to accept stable homosexual relationships among its clergy.
The suggestion of Dr Baker, former chairman of the church's Doctrine Commission, was immediately criticised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, whose opposition to openly gay clergy led to his being confronted on Sunday by gay rights activists who invaded the grounds of Lambeth Palace. Dr Carey pointed out that it would mean "a very significant departure" from the church's current policy.
The issue is due to be debated by the church's General Synod later this year.
Meanwhile, the Church of Scotland has given a positive response to Pope John Paul's 1995 encyclical on Christian unity, Ut Unum Sint, in which he asked leaders and theologians of other churches to engage in dialogue with Rome over the form of ministry the papacy should embody.
In recent years, the kirk's traditional Calvinist hostility towards Rome has mellowed to the point of inviting a Catholic observer to its general assembly every year since 1975.