Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage - NYTimes.com

Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage - NYTimes.com

Episcopal Bishops Give Ground on Gay Marriage

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By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: July 15, 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The bishops of the Episcopal Church agreed Wednesday to a compromise measure that stops short of developing an official rite for same-sex unions, but gives latitude to bishops who wish to go ahead and bless such unions, particularly in states that have legalized such marriages.

Over two days of debate, some bishops said they felt compelled to act because of their pastoral responsibility to gay couples who were increasingly coming forward to ask the church to bless their unions. Many also said they saw it as a simple matter of granting equal rights to gay men and lesbians.

The measure was written to defer to bishops who oppose adopting a liturgy for same-sex blessings and to those who say their constituents are not ready for such a step. But it opens the door to doing so in the future, saying they will “collect and develop theological and liturgical resources” for same-sex blessings, and report to the next convention three years from now, which could then design an official rite.

Even with the nuance, the vote was a momentous step for a church that has been mired in intrafactional warfare over homosexuality for more than a decade. Advocates for gay rights in the church celebrated it as a victory, noting that the vote count was a resounding 104 in favor and 30 opposed, with 2 abstentions.

“It’s a big step forward,” said Bishop Thomas C. Ely of Vermont. “The House of Bishops worked hard to get to the place where we could have such a large majority voting to move forward on the development” of a rite for same-sex blessings.

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