Opposition to the consecration of the Church of England's first openly gay bishop continues to grow following release of a letter criticizing the appointment of the Rev. Jeffery John as Bishop Suffragan of Reading. The letter was signed by 16 bishops, about 25 percent of the provincial total, and includes two prominent evangelical bishops who were in contention last spring with the Most Rev. Rowan Williams for appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop-elect John has been a prominent homosexual rights advocate for a number of years. The Telegraph, a London daily newspaper, reported last month that bishop-elect John had been in a sexual relationship with another man for more than 20 years. Since the relationship was revealed, the bishop-elect has said he is now celibate. "If this relationship is one of companionship and sexual abstinence, then we rejoice," the letter said. "But it is the history of the relationship, as well as Dr. John's severe criticism of orthodox teaching, which gives us concerns."