Gay bishop says he's a symbol of hope

A gay clergyman appointed as a Church of England bishop said in an interview published Thursday that he feels like a "symbol of hope" for gay men and lesbians but fears his appointment could create divisions within the church. Jeffrey John, recently named as the new bishop of Reading, also said he would remain with his male partner of 27 years, although he insisted the couple are now celibate. "It is perfectly clear that the relationship is going to last," John was quoted as saying in The Times of London. "We have been together for 27 years, and we will remain together. But the relationship has not been sexually expressed for years." John's appointment by the bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Richard Harries, has drawn criticism from senior clergymen in the Church of England as well as from high-ranking Anglicans abroad. Nine Church of England bishops wrote an open letter earlier this week expressing concern over the move, which they warned could divide the Anglican movement, while the archbishop of the West Indies and the primate of Nigeria have called for John to step down because of his support for same-sex relationships. John told The Times that opposition to his appointment had made him consider quitting, but he suggested he would stay in the job. "I am considering [withdrawing] all the time," he said. "I did not apply for the job; one does not apply to become a bishop. It is terrible to feel that I am a cause of division and fragmentation. But at the same time I have received huge numbers of messages of support, people saying, 'You have to go ahead with this for us.' I have become a symbol of hope for an awful lot of people."