stonespring
Shipmate
# 15530
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The General Convention of the US Episcopal Church has just amended its canons to make them gender-neutral with respect to marriage and has approved a marriage liturgy that can be used for same sex and opposite-sex couples. All members of the clergy are allowed to refuse to marry same-sex couples. As for diocesan bishops who do not approve of same sex marriage and have not allowed them in their diocese, they appear to still be able to do so (there is some debate over this), however, if they are the bishop of a place where same sex civil marriage is legal, they must now make the new marriage liturgy fully available to all couples, including same-sex couples who desire it, although the place of celebration of the liturgy may be outside of the diocese (this wording confuses me, too). Is this a very big change? (Lots of same-sex marriages were already occurring in TEC under "pastoral generosity" in dioceses where the bishop allowed it, even if the only approved liturgy was a blessing of a lifelong covenant which could accompany an in-church civil wedding (also confusing to me)). Will it make it easier for same sex couples in the most conservative Episcopal dioceses to marry, even if they have to travel outside the diocese to do so (which is what they had to do previously)? Will more parishes and dioceses leave or try to leave the church over this? What will this mean for the Anglican Communion? What other things are of note regarding this?
Posts: 1537 | Registered: Mar 2010
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