Priest compares Church of England to "abusive husband"

Speaking to ITV Tyne Tees, The Rev Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes says she now thinks her online blog comments were "probably counterproductive" and has since removed it from the site. She says it was not her intention to offend anyone but does hope it will create debate.

The Reverend George Curry of St Paul’s and St Stephen’s Churches in Newcastle gives his reaction to The Reverend Miranda Threlfall-Holmes' comments that compare senior Church of England figures to wife beaters.

The comments have since been removed from the online blog.

A woman priest in Durham has compared senior Church of England figures to wife beaters.

The Rev Miranda Threlfall-Holmes is critical of plans to limit the rights of women to become bishops. In her blog entitled "The Battered Bride of Christ", she questioned why women should stay in the church.

In another passage, she compares bishops to a man who gouged his wife's eyes out and then kept her in the house for 12 hours to stop her getting medical attention.

The post has now been removed from her blog.

Proposals to create women bishops have been controversial. The Church's General Synod is expected to vote on proposals in July.

But at a closed meeting of its House of Bishops, an amendment was added that refused to accept the authority of a woman to opt out and have an alternative bishop.