In UK, can religious institutions discriminate against the sexual orientation of their own clergy?
<p>There is <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/18355/can-religious-institutions-discriminate-when-selecting-their-own-clergy">this other question</a> about the same subject but it is applicable to the United States. In this question I want to ask about UK employment laws.</p>

<p>This is in consideration of the United Kingdom employment equality law, about which <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_employment_equality_law" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Wikipedia page</a> says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>As an integral part of UK labour law it is <strong>unlawful to discriminate
  against</strong> a person because they have one of the "protected
  characteristics", which are, age, disability, gender reassignment,
  marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and
  <strong>sexual orientation</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In this case I was looking at articles such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2012/jul/12/catholic-church-loses-apeal-liability" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> about a 2012 court case against the Catholic Church in UK, in which the solicitor Tracey Emmott (of Emmott Snell) is quoted as saying:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"The relationship between a bishop and a priest of a Roman Catholic
  diocese has many of the hallmarks of an employment relationship, and
  therefore it is right and proper that the church should be held
  legally accountable for abuse by its priests."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>According to above statement it seems that at least in some cases the position of a priest with the parent church is viewed as an "employment relationship". What I am curious about is what the UK employment law would say about the relationship in cases where a gay priest decides to "come out". <strong>In this kind of situation, is the employment of the priest protected by UK law, or not?</strong></p>

<p>Religious institutions who are employers are allowed to discriminate in a way that would be unlawful for other employers to the extent that the discrimination is in line with their official religious dogma.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/discrimination-at-work/what-doesn-t-count-as-discrimination-at-work/discrimination-at-work-exceptions-relating-to-religion-and-belief/" rel="noreferrer">Discrimination at work - exceptions relating to religion and belief</a></p>

united-kingdom discrimination religion