Queen's chaplain quits to openly criticize reading of Quran in Glasgow cathedral
One of the chaplains of the Queen of England has stepped down in order to freely criticize the reading of a Quranic passage at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral earlier this month.
Quranic passages denying that Jesus was the Son of God were recited at the church during a service marking the Feast of the Epiphany as part of an interfaith project.
Rev. Gavin Ashenden, who was one of the 33 special chaplains to the Queen, said that the reading was "done badly, in the wrong way, in the wrong place, in the wrong context."
"There are a number of members of the congregation who have written open letters complaining of the profound upset they experienced as people who are part of the Eucharistic community who had come to worship Christ," he told BBC Radio 4's Sunday program.
Rev. Kelvin Holdsworth, the provost at St. Mary's, said that the recitation was an effort to strengthen ties between Muslims and Christians in Glasgow. He noted that similar events have taken place in St. Mary's and other churches in the past, and these events resulted in "deepening friendships."
Ashenden wrote a letter to The Times newspaper earlier this week, calling on the church to apologize to Christians who were persecuted by Muslims and said that the denigration of Jesus in a Christian worship would be considered as blasphemy by some.
Ashenden explained in his blog that he decided to resign from his post so that he could speak out on important issues without drawing attention to the Queen. He said that it was "wrongly assumed" that he had the "Queen's ear" while he was serving as her chaplain, adding that there was a danger that the media might construe his views as those of her Majesty.
"Because I think it a higher and more compelling duty to speak out on behalf of the faith, than to retain a public honour which precludes me doing so at this time, I resigned my post," he said.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that The Royal Household has accepted Ashenden's resignation.