Raging Anger at Anglican gay 'wedding'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Anger at Anglican gay 'wedding'*
Anglicans are deeply divided over the issue of homosexuality in the Church
BBC - Traditionalists in the Anglican Church have been angered by
reports that two gay clergymen have exchanged vows in a version of a
marriage ceremony.
The service, at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London
last month, used formal rites and was said to be the first in the
Anglican Church.
The event has no legal status but critics say it flouted guidelines.
The Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend Dr David Lord were already
civil partners.
The couple are said to have exchanged vows and rings in front of
hundreds of guests.
'Erosion of respect'
Anglicans worldwide are split over homosexuality and conservatives have
condemned the service as blasphemous.
Critics of say the wording of a traditional wedding expressly defines
marriage as being between a man and a woman.
The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi, told the
Sunday Telegraph: "The leadership tried to deny that this would happen,
but now the truth is out.
"Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return
to traditional teaching."
But liberals in the Church say the Bible should be reinterpreted in line
with contemporary experience.
Under Church of England guidance, gay priests can enter civil
partnerships as long as they remain celibate.
Guidance also says that gay couples who ask a priest to bless their
partnership must be treated "pastorally and sensitively".