the good of the whole

By Diogenes ( articles ) | May 16, 2004

In protest over the appointment of an openly gay man as Dean of St. Alban's, an Anglican parish in north London is withholding its pro-rata contribution to the general diocesan fund and will divert a portion of the amount to an organization that supports reparative therapy for homosexuals. The resultant squeals were audible in the Orkneys.

The Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, the Bishop of St Alban's, called the protest "misdirected".

He said: "The withholding of such funds can only place more pressure on other churches, which continue to work hard to raise the requested payment for the good of the whole."

Well, milord, if the common good overrides lesser considerations, why didn't you take it seriously when appointing a new Dean? You went high fashion by choosing a gender-bending prebendary, and the social éclat that follows will profit you in many ways, but isn't it somewhat unreasonable to ask the proletariat to pay for it?