Rift develops in church

A row over the appointment of a parish priest in Douglas has caused a bitter rift between the Lord Bishop and a former Lieutenant Governor.

Sir Lawrence New has resigned as a church warden and licensed reader at St Matthew's on the Quay in protest at the non-appointment of Reverend Robert Ferguson, who had been filling some of his predecessor's duties.

That has produced a strongly-worded rebuttal from Bishop Robert who's blasted Sir Lawrence for what he calls a serious breach of confidentiality.

But Sir Lawrence says he's been concerned for some time about the way the Bishop has run church affairs.