Bishop of Rochester Nazir-Ali’s announced upcoming resignation has – surprise, surprise – made him the target of Liberal defamation. In the introduction of the annual report for Southwark Cathedral, the Very Rev. Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, accuses Nazir-Ali of attempting to create a rival church, reports the Telegraph (see article here). “Whatever he may say,” writes Slee, “it is clearly a move towards a sectarian alternative church intentionally designed to create turbulence in the Anglican Communion.” On top of everything else, he takes the opportunity to further insult the Evangelical branch of the Anglican Communion by calling them a “Puritan fringe”, seemingly blaming them for the all the divisions currently raging in world Anglicanism. One would almost think Slee actually believes that it’s the Evangelicals who are breaking from traditional Anglicanism, and not the Liberals.

One thing’s for sure. If Nazir-Ali’s departure wasn’t going to foster further division in the Anglican Communion, Slee’s derogatory treatment of Evangelicals certainly will.