The Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev’d Rod Thomas, today responded to the decision by the Scottish Episcopal Church to change its canons of marriage. He said: “The decision by the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) to change its canons of marriage in order to allow same-sex marriages in church is very serious. By its actions

 I am deeply saddened that Philip North has felt forced to withdraw from his nomination as the next Bishop of Sheffield. It will be a huge loss to Sheffield and is a body blow to the concept of ‘mutual flourishing’ which lay at the heart of the agreement to introduce women bishops in the Church

I warmly welcome the commitment of the House of Bishops to the Biblical definition of marriage, which provides a clear context for our future work. The report recognises that the Church is wrestling with how best to uphold and promote this good gift from God, while showing real pastoral care for all in our communities,

Rod has been asked to be a member of the group of ten Bishops assisting the Bishops of the Church of England in their reflections relating to human sexuality.  The terms of reference of this group were announced in a press release by the College of Bishops on 16 September 2016 and can be found here.