Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral resigns

LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, one of London's most prominent landmarks, resigned Monday after days of controversy over a protest camp outside its doors.

The Rt. Rev. Graeme Knowles said he believes he is "no longer the right person to lead the chapter of this great cathedral," The Daily Telegraph reported.

Knowles is the third Anglican priest associated with the cathedral to leave since Thursday. The canon chancellor, the Rev. Giles Fraser, resigned last week, saying that attempting to evict the Occupy the London Stock Exchange encampment was doing "violence in the name of the church," and a part-time chaplain, the Rev. Fraser Dyer, also left.

The cathedral, which celebrated its 300th birthday this year, reopened last Friday after being closed for a week for the first time since World War II, because Knowles said the camp was a safety hazard.

Knowles announced his decision Monday a few hours after being heckled while he tried to address the protest group.

"It has become increasingly clear to me that, as criticism of the cathedral has mounted in the press, media and in public opinion, my position as dean of St. Paul's was becoming untenable," he said in a statement.