He was, naturally grateful for the CofE bishops taking an interest. "Love-wise, Christian feelings-wise, it is a good move", he said of the letter on today's Sunday Programme on Radio 4. From the perspective of what actually works, however, he intimated it was pretty well the opposite of what Christians in Syria want. "We suffer that our people would leave the country", he said. So, not so keen on encouraging the exodus.

If approved it would mean Anglicans being allowed to present themselves at Communion during Mass if they were married to a Catholic but unable to attend a service in their own denomination.

Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (Arcic), set up to further unity, has criticised the move, however, saying it did not meet the demands of either the Code of Canon Law or the Ecumenical Directory.

Some Dioceses have already posted their results, and the headline has been the election of Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain as a representative for London. The background: In February 2014 the Bishops' post-Synod statement reiterated that the Church of England cannot bless same sex relationships nor change its doctrine of marriage.

One of the highlights of ReNew was the presence and video message of Revd Rod Thomas, Bishop-designate of Maidstone, who promised to uphold the cause of Anglicans who held to a complementarian position on the issue of women in leadership. Bishop Rod noted the situation of evangelicals as 'feeling rather on the back foot in the Church of England and being aghast at some of the changes that are taking place.