CoE blocks sale of church to Society of St Pius X
The Anglican Diocese of Manchester has blocked the sale of a disused church, St George's Church in Gorton, east Manchester, to the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) the BBC reports.
A spokesman for the diocese said it had received 100 letters of objection to the sale from MPs, peers, Manchester City Council, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Roman Catholic Church.
He said: "We welcome the decision by the Church Commissioners to prevent the sale of St George's church to the Society of St Pius X.
"The Bishop of Manchester made it clear in his submissions that such a sale was not in the interests of community cohesion, ecumenical relations or inter-faith work."
The decision followed a period of consultation by the Church Commissioners, which manages Church of England assets.
The SSPX said it could not comment on the decision at this stage.
Source: BBC/Diocese of Manchester