The Episcopal Church of the United States has for many years made it mandatory that all clergy (and any church staff) that have contact with minors be trained in Sexual Misconduct and give proof of that training before they are eligible for any posts within the Episcopal Church. Providing leadership in this area has caused many other denominations to do the same.

"The cartoons, you see, have not been published in this country, and the Government has been very critical of those countries in which they were published. To many of the Islamic clerics, that's a clear victory.

"It's confirmation of what they believe to be a familiar pattern: if spokesmen for British Muslims threaten what they call 'adverse consequences' - violence to the rest of us - then the British Government will cave in. I think it is a very dangerous precedent."

The awesome task now before the convention of the Diocese of California is to choose the right person from among the nominees to be their bishop. They must elect a bishop whom they believe will best meet the needs of their diocese in the coming years.

Whilst recognising the great importance of continuing dialogue in this vital but difficult area and valuing the contribution of Christians of all traditions, there were statements made by Dr. Mouneer which caused me some concern. When asked to comment on the issues of conversions from Islam and the increase in attacks on Coptic Orthodox churches, Dr. Mouneer replied by: