Introduction
The freedom of churches (particularly Anglican churches) to ensure that they employ Christians of integrity, living in accordance with the Bible’s teaching, was damaged by the recent judgment of a Welsh Employment Tribunal. On the 17th July the Tribunal held that the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance had acted unlawfully in a case concerning the decision of the Bishop of Hereford, Anthony Priddis, not to offer a 5 year post as Diocesan Youth Officer to an openly homosexual applicant, John Reaney.
Background
On paper Mr Reaney was a strong candidate with substantial previous experience as a Diocesan Youth Officer. Along with three other applicants who were called for interview, Mr Reaney was specifically asked to confirm his compliance with the 1991 “Issues in Human Sexuality” statement by the House of Bishops and General Synod. Mr Reaney declared his compliance with it by saying that he was not currently in a relationship and “for this post he did not intend to enter into a relationship.” Mr Reaney had been in a five year homosexual relationship that had ended a few weeks prior to his application for the Youth Officer job.
After the interviews, an 8-person panel unanimously recommended Mr Reaney to the Bishop for the Hereford post.
The Bishop was concerned because Mr Reaney had not ended his recent homosexual relationship in order to be celibate, but rather because the relationship had simply broken down. In addition, Mr Reaney’s previous job in the Chester diocese had finished prematurely when he was told to choose between his homosexual partner (who had turned up “unannounced, inappropriately” at events), and his job in the diocese. He had chosen the former.
When the Bishop asked Mr Reaney what would happen “if he met someone [another man]” in the future, Mr Reaney responded that if a homosexual relationship might develop, he would discuss it with the Bishop.
After consideration the Bishop informed Mr Reaney that he would not be offered the post. A short while later, with the assistance of the gay activist group Stonewall, Mr Reaney issued legal proceedings against the Diocese.
