A Christian couple in the UK are appealing a decision by a local council to ban them from fostering children because of their traditional beliefs regarding homosexuality. They are being supported in their case by leading Church of England clerics including Lord Carey (pictured), the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

In an open letter, Lord Carey said gay rights were being placed ahead of the rights of religious believers.

The letter is also signed by Bishops Michael Scott-Joynt, Peter Forster and Michael Nazir-Ali.

They say in their letter: ‘The High Court is to be asked to rule on whether Christians are “fit people” to adopt or foster children – or whether they will be excluded, regardless of the needs of children, from doing so because of the requirements of homosexual rights.

‘Research clearly establishes that children flourish best in a family with both a mother and father in a committed relationship.

‘The supporters of homosexual rights cannot be allowed to suppress all disagreement or disapproval, and “coerce silence”.’

The couple in the case – Eunice and Owen Johns – are Pentecostal Christians and they say Derby City Council’s fostering panel rejecting them because of their traditional beliefs concerning homosexuality.

The Christian Legal Centre is representing the couple and it described the implications of the case as ‘huge’.

It said: ‘It is no exaggeration to say that the future of Christian foster carers hangs in the balance’.