Gays target three more bishops

Three more Anglican bishops have been targeted by the gay rights pressure group OutRage! to persuade them to admit their alleged homosexuality, the group's spokesman, Peter Tatchell, said yesterday.

Mr Tatchell's comments came as a Church of England spokesman deplored the actions of a Sunday newspaper in "outing" the Rev Ros Hunt, chaplain to the deaf in Ely diocese. Ms Hunt was described in the Sunday Times as "the first lesbian priest" and was reported to have said: "I'm an `out' dyke in the Church of England."

The Bishop of London, David Hope, ranked third in the Church of England hierarchy, last week admitted that his sexuality was "a grey area" following meetings and an exchange of letters with OutRage!

Senior clergy condemned the "reprehensible intrusion" and supported the bishop. The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, warned against "simplistic answers" about people's sexuality. But Mr Tatchell claimed that Bishop Hope's admission and the Church's support for him were exactly what OutRage! had planned: "We didn't want to hound him out of office. We wanted the Church to accept and support him. This small success in getting the Bishop of London to come out and getting the Church hierarchy to back him is just a tiny move in a much bigger game plan. We are going to influence the future policy of the Church of England in a way that will come out later this year."

Mr Tatchell said OutRage! was privately attempting to persuade three bishops to come out. The bishops are retired, though still serving, and Mr Tatchell said he had spoken to them on the telephone. He added that his aim was to "checkmate" the evangelicals who were "trying to turn back the recent pro-gay initiative in the Church of England.

"The evangelicals lost their battle over the ordination of women and now they're fighting a rearguard action to prevent the Church from softening its line on lesbian and gay sexuality," Mr Tatchell added.

However, a spokesman for the Church of England said: "Mr Tatchell has been universally condemned for his intimidatory tactics. The way forward is by reasoned and reasonable discussion of this issue. This is one of the many issues facing us at the moment. We have other major issues confronting us, like finance."

The former Bishop of Birmingham, Hugh Montefiore, said: "We all have areas of our lives that we are entitled to keep private, even Mr Tatchell."

OutRage! had caused "great distress" to some of the 10 bishops it named as allegedly homosexual last November, said the bishop, author of the bookGod, Sex and Love. "One was so privately distressed, though he had nothing to reproach himself for, that I had to take a confirmation for him," he added.