Gay Activists Pressure Bishop

Under pressure from gay activists to publicly declare himself a homosexual, the Church of England’s third-ranking bishop said Monday he was sexually ambiguous.

The bishop of London, the Right Rev. David Hope, said he had been subjected to a “profoundly disturbing campaign” by the activist group Outrage! which tries to force prominent people to disclose their homosexuality.

Hope, 54, said he had lived a celibate life and chose not to describe himself as either homosexual or heterosexual.

“For some the area is slightly grayer,” Hope told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. “That’s the sort of area I find myself in.”

Hope’s comments revived the controversy about homosexuals in the Church of England, which does not ordain openly homosexual clergy. A week ago, retired Bishop Derek Rawcliffe became the highest-ranking Anglican prelate to publicly confirm his homosexuality.