St Paul's chancellor 'to resign'

The chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral is to step down from his post, the BBC understands.Canon Dr Giles Fraser, who has been sympathetic to the protest camp outside the London landmark, is expected to announce his resignation within days.Differences over the handling of the protest are thought to have prompted his decision, says the BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott.St Paul's, which closed last week, could reopen to the public on Friday.The cathedral was shut over fears of "significant issues" with health and safety concerning the Occupy London Stock Exchange (OLSX) camp.When it was first set up, Canon Fraser said he was happy for the demonstrators to stay and asked police to scale back their presence.He has refused to sanction the use of force to remove the protesters as pressure mounts on the cathedral to join in legal action against them, considering it a resigning matter, our correspondent said.It is understood that Canon Fraser now considers his position untenable and is expected to announce his resignation from the governing cathedral chapter within the next few days.Mr Pigott said the canon had become one of the most radical figures on the Church of England's progressive wing, developing a reputation for tackling difficult issues head-on.He was appointed St Paul's canon chancellor in May 2009.A decision as to whether the cathedral will reopen is expected on Thursday.The cathedral has claimed it has been losing £20,000 a day in donations since the camp was set up 12 days ago.Demonstrators, who are protesting against corporate greed and inequality, have vowed to remain at the site for several weeks.The Dean of St Paul's, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, said he was optimistic about reopening after changes to the camp.He said: "We will revisit the risk assessment in the light of any overnight developments and, subject to us getting the green light, we hope to reopen in time for the 12:30 Eucharist on Friday."On Wednesday, London's mayor joined the Bishop of London in calling for the demonstrators to move on.Boris Johnson said: "With the greatest respect to their point of view, they have made it."The Bishop of London said the demonstration had raised a number of very important questions but that the time had come for the protesters to leave.But Tim Williams, from OLSX, said they had been working with the church authorities to move tents, reconfigure barriers and relocate the camp's kitchen to facilitate the reopening.He said the organisers and officials were "all working together".On Friday, the City of London Corporation's planning committee is due to hear legal advice and decide whether to take court action against the demonstrators.In response to this, Mr Williams said: "It's a minefield on the basis of who owns the land. It's a minefield on the fact that we have rights."We have British rights to make comment and we have European rights to make comment."They're welcome to use their rights to try and stop us. We are quite clear where our situation is at."