In an effort to avoid “the appearance of discrimination” against gay priests – who are required to claim to be celibate if they are in civil partnerships - all future candidates for the episcopate will also be subject to a “test” to ensure they have no sexual skeletons in the closet.
Before they can be considered for a mitre they will have to persuade an archbishop that they are not involved in activity which might be considered sinful – and are not planning to do so.
The questioning, likely to be conducted by a serving bishop on behalf of one of the two archbishops, is to determine whether their private life “is and will remain consistent with the teaching of the Church of England”.
Church teaching only permits sex between a husband and wife and explicitly rules out any kind of gay or lesbian sex, extra-marital affairs or, officially at least, cohabiting couples sleeping together before marriage.
But some passages in the book of Leviticus are much more detailed: specifying a ban on sexual relations with various “beasts” or humans if they are members of the extended family.
It is unlikely, however, that these will fall within the scope of the Church of England’s hiring procedures.