Vicars across Britain are defying the Church of England's strict ban on
blessings for gay couples by presiding over hundreds of such ceremonies every
year. An edited version of the report by Chris Hastings, Fiona Govan and Susan Bissett in the Telegraph.
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The Telegraph investigates gay blessings |
An
investigation by The Telegraph can reveal for the first time just how easy
it is for same-sex couples to receive a blessing in an Anglican church. In
the space of less than a week, reporters posing as gay couples were
offered blessings by 14 different vicars. The clergy, who were chosen at
random, were happy to help the couples even though they were strangers who
had no connection with either the local church or the parish. Two parish
priests in the dioceses of Lincoln and Southwark even provided dates for
the ceremonies, which they agreed could take place in their own churches.
Blessing gay couples, either in church or in private, is forbidden by
Canon Law. The Lambeth Conference of 1998 reaffirmed the Church of
England's opposition to blessings for same-sex couples and for the
ordination of practising homosexuals as priests, stating: "This
conference cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions
nor ordaining those involved in same-gender unions." However, most of
the vicars who agreed to help a same-sex couple confirmed that they had
performed similar ceremonies in the past. The Telegraph has chosen not to
name the priests. One vicar said: "On average, I tend to perform
about four same-sex blessings a year. Sometimes it seems like I do more
homosexual blessings than ordinary church weddings." A colleague in
south-east London said his church had an open policy of blessing same-sex
unions and even announced blessings in the parish notices.
One vicar in the diocese of Lincoln said that he blessed homosexual
couples with the consent of his bishop. "I have mentioned what I am
doing to my bishop and he told me that he himself often received requests
and would be happy to pass them on." The vicar said that he was
willing to incorporate elements of the ordinary marriage service and the
Church of England's own liturgy into the ceremony and showed reporters a
copy of a service he had performed for a couple called Linda and Paula
only three weeks ago. The couple's order of service, for which the vicar
charged £170, included exchanging of rings and The Lord's Prayer.
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The Bishop of Lincoln has no problems with blessings |
The
Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev John Saxbee, said that he personally had no
problems with gay blessings and was aware that at least one local vicar
was presiding over such ceremonies. He said: "A vicar in my own
diocese has told me he is blessing same-sex couples. I think that is fully
in line with the pronouncement by the House of Bishops in 1991 that
homosexuals should be welcomed into the life of the Church. "I take
that pronouncement to mean they can receive the benefits of church
membership including blessings. I can't answer for those who obviously
take a different view." The bishop said he was not happy with
elements of the traditional marriage ceremony being incorporated into such
blessings. He said: "I think there is something fundamentally
dishonest about that because a blessing is not a marriage. That is an
issue, however, for individual clergy and the couple involved."
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Priests follow their conscience in helping couples |
Another vicar we spoke to told us: "We can tailor the service to suit
the needs of the couple in question. More often than not people want to
exchange rings and state their vows. In the past I have helped couples
organise the flowers, the hymns and even the photographer." He added:
"We can't go as far as a choir but we can normally get an
organist." Another vicar who agreed to bless a gay couple said:
"I treat gay couples in exactly the same way that I treat
heterosexual couples. A lot of my colleagues are homophobic and don't
agree with me, but I can't answer for them."
While all of those approached were aware that their actions were contrary
to the rules of the Church of England, many felt that they had to be true
to their conscience even if that meant defying their bishop. One vicar in
the diocese of Southwark said: "I don't ask my bishop for permission
to bless the sick, bless shrines or bless animals, so why should I go to
him when I want to bless a committed and loving gay couple?"
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LGCM and a CofE spokesman comment |
Richard
Kirker, the general secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement,
said he knew of about 70 priests who together blessed around 450
homosexual couples a year. He said: "They believe in all good
conscience that it is more important to care for people and offer God's
grace and blessing than obey rules that they have no respect for and which
they do not feel are justified and are pastorally very damaging."
A spokesman for the Church of England said: "The Church of England
does not recognise these blessings. I have no personal knowledge of these
things going on."
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