Across

1 English hymn writer­ retired in country elsewhere (6)

5 Floral wreathes with cloth around sent to countries (8)

9 Like a bishop’s message to his clergy, formerly spoken (8)

10 Strange things appearing in dark times (6)

11 Go along with a gardener regularly (5)

12 Praise while hugging disabled innocent (9)

14 Combatants struggling in stadia with glory endlessly (10)

15 Lent for example, primarily for a saint (4)

16 Disagree with cathedral dignitary giving up active ministry finally (4)

18 Nuns in group resist wicked criminal (10)

21 A clue God distributed to earth in a set of Christian rules (9)

22 A person returning to church, someone God took away (5)

24 Elaborate nave in foreign city (6)

25 The emperor’s writing paper (8)

26 One saint in the lowlands sparkles (8)

27 Posh dean not half silly in vestments (6)

Down

2 The Christian gospel, set up on part of church (7)

3 Religious believers in States, radiantly unorthodox (6,3,6)

4 City in which king replaces earl in the old days (4)

5 Most of an Israeli region has nothing for a scientist (7)

6 A showman — one pulling rope perhaps round a tall pole (10)

7 A sculpture of another length, extraordinary (5,2,3,5)

8 Part of aptitude test student hates (7)

13 Daddy’s boy scoffed food about one with great gusto (10)

17 Simple, we hear, like confused prophet (7)

19 Deists upset about university swots (7)

20 Fruit farm’s harvest mostly raised with difficulty (7)

23 A model exuding love in part of church? (4)

Last week's solution