Mark's Church Rector-elect in the face of a campaign by rebel parishioners.

Bishop Ratteray vowed that the induction of controversial Father William Hayward will go ahead -- despite threats of a boycott.

And the Bishop denied TV reports that he was yesterday to meet with a prominent anti-Hayward member of the St. Mark's Church congregation to discuss the row.

Bishop Ratteray said: "When I heard about it on television, it was the first I'd heard of it.

"I don't know where that came from -- it was somebody's fiction.'' It is understood the church choir may fail to turn up for Sunday's service to confirm Fr. Hayward in the job as part of the protest.

And it is claimed that a large number of the congregation will quit the church if the induction goes ahead.

Bishop Ratteray refused to comment on reports that a group of angry parishioners was considering appealing to the Anglican faith's top churchman -- the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, in a bid to unseat Fr.

Hayward.

Bishop Ratteray said: "I'm not going to get into that -- it wouldn't be helpful.'' It is understood Anglican church law allows for an appeal to a special committee of Bishops in England -- with a final decision resting with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Fr. Hayward beat out what is understood to have been three other candidates, was approved by the parish vestry and confirmed in the post by Bishop Ratteray.

But a group of parishioners organised a petition -- which drew around 90 signatures -- in protest at the move, insisting Fr. Hayward lacked sufficient parish experience and lacked a wife to share the burden of parish work.

And they said -- although the selection process took place within the rules -- the church had a tradition of more open selection, with parishioners being allowed to look over the candidates before a final decision was made.

Other parishioners, however, threw their weight behind the Rector-elect and backed Fr. Hayward.

Holy row One insisted the silent majority of parishioners only wanted to get on with their worship -- and would accept Fr. Hayward as their parish priest.

Fr. Hayward won the job after the field was narrowed to two candidates. He had been filling in at St. Mark's for several months following the departure of Fr. Robert Thacker for a post in Japan.

In 1997, Fr. Hayward landed at the centre of a court case after a letter -- later ruled by a Magistrate to be defamatory -- was sent to Archdeacon Arnold Hollis by Pembroke St. John's Church organist Bill Duncan.

Mr. Duncan was bound over for a year after admitting the facts of the case, although he was not required to enter a formal plea.

Fr. Hayward said that the letter -- sent in October 1996 -- had cost him the parish of St. John's and possibly a church post in Paget as well.