The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, said today he was deeply moved by the Pope's actions when he heard the news, and immediately called together the Executive Council for a behind closed doors meeting and later issued the following statement:

Fr. Daau dodged death on more than one occasion, saw his village invaded and destroyed, became an orphan, ran and hid in the wilderness and refugee camps of East Africa. As an orphan and refugee John was denied every advantage of life. But then God stepped in and made a way for him in the midst of the carnage and miraculously he received an education and a call to be a minister of the gospel. Christ transformed his life.

The 68-year-old bachelor was arrested after police visited his home in Neville's Cross, Durham, last January and discovered 165 images of underage children in a raid at his home.

Hayward was prosecuted in March and given a two-year community supervision order, and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and registration as a sex offender, both for five years.

Hing, who is Archbishop of the Church of the Province of South East Asia, said discipleship had to be intentional -- there needed to be planning and training and passion, or it would not succeed. He warned that mission always had times of discouragement and disappointments and suggested that these would be keenly felt in an era when the Church had become more results-orientated.