A Protestant priest against the ordaining of women is converting to Catholicism.
Father Donald Minchew, who has been a member of the Church of England for more than 30 years is resigning as vicar of St Michael's and All Angels parish church, to become a priest for the Croydon Ordinariate, a group of former members of the Anglican faith, who now seek full communion within the Catholic church.
Father Donald, who had been a vicar at the church in Poplar Walk, Croydon for 16-and-a-half years, said he was leaving because he disagreed with the Church of England's decision to ordain women priests and bishops.
He said: "It seems to me that all this legislation for women priests and bishops is about equality. It has nothing to do with theology or the church, and because of this it is it has sort of gradually come home to me that I have a limited shelf life in the Church of England."
"Everybody thinks if you do not agree with women priests you are a misogynist, but that is not the case. It is the vocation, the calling has from the beginning of time been reserved for males.mIn the teaching of the church it says the two sexes are complimentary, nowhere does it say that it is interchangeable."
Despite his beliefs Father Donald said it will be "a wrench" leaving St Michael's and All Angels.
"After 16 years I got to love this place, it's going to be a wrench leaving. But I will go across and any of the congregation that want to go with me can."
From Sunday, February 26, the Ordinariate group will be attending the 10.45am Mass at St Mary's Church, Wellesley Road.
Father Donald's last Sunday at St Michael's will be on February 19, and the last Mass he will celebrate at the church will be on February 21, at 8pm.