A gay clergyman recently appointed as a bishop in the Church of England told a London newspaper that despite fierce opposition he is unlikely to resign because has become a "symbol of hope to an awful lot of people." The Rev. Jeffery John told The Times of London that it felt terrible to be the source of division and fragmentation, but at the same time he has also received "huge numbers of messages of support." Fr. John was appointed Bishop Suffragan of Reading by the Rt. Rev. Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, earlier this month. Since then a number of primates throughout the Anglican Communion, nine diocesan bishops from the Church of England, and a number of clergy and laity in the Diocese of Reading have called for Fr. John to resign before he is consecrated in October. Some parishes within the diocese are threatening to withold financial support to the diocese or to seek visitation from another bishop.