Posted on 06/18/2002 5:35:32 AM PDT by vance
Canada: Anglicans to bless gay unions
Rich Peters
Anglican churches in the Vancouver area will be allowed to hold same-sex union ceremonies.
The Diocese of New Westminster voted on the weekend to create a special ritual to bless gay and lesbian relationships. It is the first time an Anglican diocese in Canada has endorsed same-sex relationships.
The New Westminster diocese, which encompasses Vancouver and most of the southern British Columbia mainland, is one of the biggest in the country.
The proposal, put forward by Bishop Michael Ingham, was not without dissent. Nine congregations walked out of the general synod on the weekend, saying they would appeal to the Anglican Church of Canada and would seek to remove themselves from the diocese.
However, Ingham's plan reportedly has the approval of the 700,000-member church's top Anglican, Primate Michael Peers.
No priest in the diocese would be required to act against his or her conscience in blessing the unions.
The diocese has voted twice before in favor of same-sex marriages, but Bishop Ingham overruled the decisions, feeling that the votes were won by margins that were too narrow. The proposal presented this weekend won more than 60 percent support.
The blessing of same-sex unions occurs in a handful of U.S. and European Anglican dioceses. But opposition remains strong throughout the 60-million-member worldwide church.
In 1998, the Lambeth conference, a gathering of the world's Anglican bishops that takes place every 10 years, rejected the ceremonies. Opposition was led by conservative bishops from Africa and Asia.
This weekend's dramatic step, after 25 years of discussion on greater inclusion of gays and lesbians in the Anglican Church of Canada, brought some synod members to tears.
The head of the Vancouver chapter of the gay and lesbian Anglican group Integrity, said he was saddened at the departure of so many synod members, including the clergy from his own parish.
Steve Schuh said he was joyful that the church was now saying "welcome," yet the walkout "says to me that they have a great deal of contempt for gay and lesbian people. It says to me they can't be in a church which accepts me."
Any word yet on threesomes?
SD
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.