- The Observer, Sunday February 23 2003
Canon Thomas Wright said: 'In the early Church all that pagans knew about the Christians was that they believed in the Resurrection and didn't sleep around. We need to remind ourselves of that and not capitulate to the morals of the street.'
The canon will become the fourth most senior figure in the Church when he goes to Durham this summer.
Friends of Prince Charles and Parker Bowles had hoped that attitudes towards remarriage in the Church were softening and were given encouragement by the General Synod's decision last summer to review the remarriage rules. There is no ecclesiastical objection to the Prince of Wales remarrying. He is considered the widower of Diana, Princess of Wales, but the former husband of the Prince's partner is still alive.
A Lambeth Palace source insisted yesterday: 'We are focusing on the enthronement of the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. It is one of the most important events in recent Church history and emphasises continuity, not divisiveness.'
The source suggested that the Archbishop, Dr Rowan Williams, would be 'aghast if some people try to hijack this special time'.
Canon Wright, 54, will automatically become a member of the House of Lords when he moves to Durham.
At St James's Palace, a spokeswoman for Prince Charles said: 'We have nothing to say about Canon Wright's remarks.'
