Anglicans support
same-sex marriage
By Kevin Lajoie,
standard-freeholder.com from the Web, October 15, 2007
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| Ron Chaplin speaks after the Anglican Synodat Nav
Canada Saturday afternoon |
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Cornwell, Ca.--.Members of the
Anglican Diocese of Ottawa have said yes to blessing same-sex marriages in the
church.
Now, it's up to Ottawa Bishop John Chapman to make a final decision on whether
to allow the practice, and it remains unclear if and when that will happen.
Clergy and lay people attending the diocese's annual synod in Cornwall approved
a motion Saturday asking the bishop to allow clergy "whose conscience permits"
to bless registered civil marriages between same-sex couples, so long as one of
the partners is baptized.
The controversial motion passed by a vote of 177 to 97.
With the vote, the Ottawa diocese has become the first to deal with the issue
since June, when the national Anglican church defeated a plan to allow same-sex
blessings even though the church agreed it would not conflict with its "core
doctrine." Chapman voted for the blessings at that time.
Chapman described Saturday's vote as a "strong endorsement," but he wasn't
committing to any concrete steps just yet.
"It's not helpful to walk alone. We're not afraid to walk alone, but we
don't want to walk alone," he said. The bishop said he plans on consulting
with other bishops and dioceses in order to develop a consensus on the matter.
Asked how long it would take to reach a conclusion, Chapman responded, "I don't
know."
In the meantime, the bishop said he expects the clergy to honour the current
practices in place. One Ottawa priest had threatened to stop performing
marriages if he couldn't bless same-sex couples, while another Ottawa parish had
recently withheld funds from the diocese as a show of protest over the issue.
The bishop also said he's concerned about those who voted against the motion and
the suggestion some may choose to leave the church over the issue.
"Their departure would result in sadness and grief and a sense of loss.
That is their decision and we will grieve their decision," he said.
Ron Chaplin, the peoples' warden at St. John the Evangelist in Ottawa, is
confident Chapman will act on the motion, and he also thinks there will be
similar movements in other Anglican dioceses in the near future. Chaplin
introduced Saturday's motion along with Rev. Canon Garth Bulmer of St. John's.
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