Excerpt:
The bishop of Rochester, one of the most outspoken figures in the Church of England, is to set up an organisation that will champion the rights of victimised Christian communities around the world.
Michael Nazir-Ali, who announced his resignation on Saturday, said in an official statement that he was hoping to work with church leaders in areas where the church was "under pressure, particularly in minority situations" and that he had been asked to help with education and training relevant to Christians living under those conditions. A source close to the bishop described the resignation as a "step of faith" and said the announcement had taken other bishops by surprise.
Nazir-Ali, the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England, is familiar with the dangers facing minority Christian communities. In 1986, the then archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, arranged for him to come to the UK when, as bishop of Raiwind in west Punjab, he found his life in danger. His personal experience, in addition to his concern for the welfare of Muslim converts to Christianity, has led to a firm conviction that people are persecuted for being Christian.