Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 2006 Page: 24 of 104
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inalnews
Episcopal bishop in Connecticut oks gay union blessings
Decision does not let clergy officiate at civil union ceremonys but does
allow acknowledgement of same-sex couples' state-sanctioned unions
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — Episcopal priests may
give a pastoral blessing to same-sex unions in
church ceremonies, the head of the diocese in
Connecticut announced this weekend, reversing
a long-standing policy.
Bishop Andrew Smith's decision does not
allow Episcopal clergy to officiate at civil union
ceremonies but permits priests, through a bless-
ing ceremony in the church, to acknowledge gay
and lesbian couples who have had a civil union
granted by the state.
"At the heart of the matter is whether we as a
church will welcome and embrace, serve with
and care for and bless persons who are homosex-
ual and partnered as cherished and fully accepted
members of the body of Christ," Smith said in a
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speech at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford at
the diocese's two-day annual convention that
ended Saturday. "I believe it is right to change
our current policy, which prohibits our clergy
from blessing same-sex relationships."
Smith said he acted because Connecticut rec-
ognizes civil unions, which became law last year,
and that there has been no movement on the issue
at the national level of the Episcopal Church. A
report in 2003 to the archbishop of Canterbury,
leader of the worldwide Anglican communion,
called for a moratorium on the consecration of
gay clergy and same-sex blessings by the U.S.
Episcopal Church.
"What I have permitted is a pastoral ministry
of blessing, which does not mimic a wedding
ceremony," Smith said in an interview after the
convention, The Hartford Courant reported
Sunday.
"I felt the time had come for the church to say
'Yes' since there has been no movement on the
question that was emerging. And, knowing many
faithful gay and lesbian folks are leading lives
seeking to serve Christ, I felt that now is the time
I move to say 'Yes.'"
The decision was greeted with joy by the Rev.
Pat Gallagher, who leads St. Paul's Church in
Willimantic.
"I couldn't be happier," she said. "I'm just so
excited about it. It's a right we should have."
One church leader was not supportive of
Smith's decision.
The Rev. Christopher Leighton, rector at St.
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Bishop Andrew Smith said he decided to allow the bless-
ings of same-sex unions because he knows many faithful
gay and lesbian people who are "leading lives to serve
Christ."
Paul's Church in Darien, called Smith a "perpe-
trator of false teaching."
Smith's decision was "defiant of Scripture and
worldwide Christianity," he said.
Leighton is one of five priests who have been
in a theological battle with Smith since his 2003
vote in support of the consecration of an openly
gay bishop of New Hampshire.
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Peter Barrett
Attorney at Law
3500 Oak Lawn
Suite 700
Dallas, Texas 75219
214-748-8871
24 I dallasvoice.com I 10.27.06
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, October 27, 2006, newspaper, October 27, 2006; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238932/m1/24/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.