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INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Same Sex Blessings at GC2012 - "It was horrifying"
COMMENTARY
By Mary Ann Mueller
Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
July 10, 2012
It was horrifying to watch and listen to the House of Bishops vote for same-gendered blessing liturgy.
Bishop after bishop, following the calling of their name, answered "Yes."
Bishop Alexander - yes; Bishop Whitmore - yes; Bishop Gray-Reeves - yes; Bishop Robinson - yes. One hundred and eleven times the answer was "Yes."
Bishop Douglas - yes; Bishop Gulick - yes; Bishop Peter Lee - yes; Bishop Jones - yes; Bishop Glasspool - yes; Bishop Johnston - yes; Bishop Beisner - yes; Bishop Jeffers-Schori - yes ...
With each "yes", my heart dropped a little farther, another tear formed.
Again The Episcopal Church was hurtling down a path of spiritual self-destruction.
It was heartbreaking to witness. It is soul-wrenching to write about.
Before the roll call vote, Bishop Duncan Gray of Mississippi pleaded with his brothers and sisters in the House of Bishops for an air of humility.
"I know this will pass," he prophesied. "Can we walk beyond this vote with a sense of humility and less of a triumphant way?"
The Mississippian was correct. A-049 passed and, for the most part, The Episcopal Church is celebrating.
So much for restraint, Bishop Gene Robinson immediately tweeted: "Episcopal Bishops authorize rite of blessing for same-sex relationships 111 to 41. #LGBT"
Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline
