EPISCOPAL BISHOP OKS BLESSING OF SAME-SEX UNIONS

Letter Lets Clergy, Congregations Decide About Offering Blessing

By Paul Garber, Reporter

Winston-Salem Journal

July 3, 2004

The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina sent a letter to area ministers this week telling those who want to bless homosexual unions that they can do so under certain guidelines.

The letter from Bishop Michael Curry leaves it up to the ministers and congregations to decide whether to offer the blessings. One local minister said yesterday that he is prepared to offer the blessing. Others said they are not.

"From my perspective as Bishop, the blessing of the committed lifelong unions of persons of the same gender is one way our community can live the Gospel through faithful and loving pastoral care and spiritual support for each other," the Curry letter reads.

The letter, which was sent Thursday, is meant to offer pastoral guidance to the clergy in the wake of a vote by officials at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham last month to allow the blessing of same-sex unions among its members.

The Rev. Hal Hayek of St. Anne's Episcopal Church praised the bishop's letter, saying that it gave clear-cut guidelines on how to proceed should a congregation want to do so. Hayek said that the people of St. Anne's have already held discussions on why the church blesses any union, including those between men and women, and the next step in those discussions would cover whether same-sex unions should be blessed. He said he believes that such blessings can be appropriate.

Other local Episcopal leaders are taking a more cautious approach.

The Rev. Donald Goodheart of St. Paul's Episcopal Church said he will not move forward on the blessings until a consensus is reached within the congregation on what to do. "At St. Paul's, we have people on both sides," Goodheart said. "Our congregation is sharply divided on that right now."

The Rev. Howard Backus of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church said that he would wait until the national Episcopal General Convention votes to approve such blessings. "I just feel like the General Convention is the voice of the church," Backus said.

The General Convention meets every three years and has struggled with the issue of homosexuality for several years. So far, it has declined to endorse same-sex unions.

In a compromise decision on the issue of same-sex unions, officials at last year's convention determined that local churches offering same-sex blessings were within the bounds of the national church, but they stopped short of authorizing common liturgies for such services.

Last year's convention was also notable in its approval of the election of the church's first openly gay bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Those decisions on homosexuality, particularly regarding Robinson, angered many of the more conservative Episcopalians and prompted protests by Anglican leaders in Africa and Asia. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of Anglicanism.

The next General Convention is scheduled for 2006.

In his letter, Curry said he understands that not all congregations will agree to bless same-sex unions. For those that do, he asked that certain guidelines be followed, including consulting with the bishop first, consulting with the parish community and the local church's leaders, and proceeding with the expectation that the relationships will be characterized by fidelity, monogamy and mutual love and respect.

The diocese headed by Curry is one of three Episcopal dioceses in the state. It serves much of the middle of the state, including Episcopal churches in the Triad.