homosexual clergy

11 Stories

Pope: Having Gays in the Priesthood 'Worries Me'

Says some societies consider homosexuality 'fashionable'

(Newser) - Pope Francis has been quoted in an upcoming book as saying that having gays in the clergy "is something that worries me" and remarking that some societies consider homosexuality a "fashionable" lifestyle. Italian daily Corriere della Sera's website Saturday ran excerpts of the book, in which Francis...

Presbyterians Vote to Allow Gay Clergy

Celibacy requirement to be scrapped

(Newser) - The Presbyterian Church USA has, after 33 years of debate, voted to allow the ordination of openly gay and lesbian ministers. A majority of the church's 173 governing bodies nationwide voted to scrap a requirement for clergy to live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a...

Episcopalians Ordain 2nd Gay Bishop

Mary Glasspool installed in emotional Calif. ceremony

(Newser) - The Episcopal Church has consecrated the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool as its second openly gay bishop, seven years after stirring lingering controversy by ordaining a man to a similar post. She was installed at Long Beach Arena before 3,000 people, who burst into applause at the end, a church...

Episcopal Church Names Second Openly Gay Bishop

Mary Glasspool will head to LA Diocese

(Newser) - The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles yesterday elected the Rev. Mary Glasspool as its second openly gay bishop, underscoring Episcopal commitment to accepting same-sex relationships despite enormous pressure from other Anglicans. "Any group of people who have been oppressed because of any one, isolated aspect of their persons yearns...

Vatican Slams Sex Abuse in Other Religions

Pedophilia statement charges that most abusers are gay

(Newser) - The Vatican hit out at critics of its handling of the church's sexual abuse crisis yesterday, maintaining that most of its abusive clergymen were gay men and not pedophiles. The Holy See's UN representative cited "available research" that only 5% or less of its clergy were involved in...

Lutheran Branch Allows 'Monogamous' Gays as Clergy

Branch is US' largest, with 4.8M members

(Newser) - The largest US Lutheran denomination will allow gays in “life-long, monogamous” relationships to serve in clergy and other leadership positions, the Washington Post reports. Delegates at the convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved the measure 559-451; the denomination, which has 4.8 million US members, previously...

Episcopal Church Lifts Ban on Gay Bishops

Deeper rift with conservatives looms

(Newser) - Leaders of the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly yesterday to allow the ordination of gay and lesbian bishops, risking further fissures with conservative parishes and the Anglican Communion. The new policy reverses a 2006 compromise that prohibited the consecration of homosexual clergy, in line with other Anglican churches. Episcopalians will vote...

Episcopal Splinter Group to Ban Gay, Female Clergy

Ex-Pittsburgh bishop to lead new church

(Newser) - Hundreds of former Episcopal parishes are meeting to form the Anglican Church in North America this week, parting ways with their previous church to ban women and gays in the clergy. Robert Duncan, the former bishop of Pittsburgh, is leading the congregation of 300—including 50 bishops—and is expected...

Lutheran Panel Backs Gay Unions, 'Married' Gay Clerics

Task force seeks compromise on issue of non-celibate gay clergy

(Newser) - A task force from the nation's largest Lutheran denomination has recommended the church give its blessing to same-sex unions, reports the Los Angeles Times. The panel also recommended that the Evangelic Lutheran Church in America allow gays—currently only permitted to serve as clergy if they are celibate—to serve...

Conservatives Break With Anglican Church

Debate over homosexuality leads to schism 'in all but name'

(Newser) - Traditionalist Anglican bishops, most of them representing the developing world, have broken away from the Anglican communion and formed their own global church. Galvanized by the consecration of Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire, the disgruntled clergymen have formed the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which rejects the...

Insurer Rejects Church Over Gay Support

Fear of retaliation leads to denial of application for property coverage

(Newser) - A Michigan church has been denied property insurance not because it sits on the wrong side of the tracks, but because its national governing body sanctions gay marriage and the ordination of homosexuals, reports the Wall Street Journal. Denials are normally reserved for high-risk applicants, and Brotherhood Mutual was concerned...

11 Stories
Most Read on Newser