Episcopalian

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Episcopal Bishops OK Same-Sex Blessing

First-of-its-kind rite approved by 111-41 vote

(Newser) - The Episcopal Church has approved a blessing for same-sex couples , becoming the first major denomination to do so. Bishops at the church's general convention in Indianapolis voted 111-41, with three abstentions, in favor of using a provisional rite for gay couples for the next three years, reports the AP...

Episcopal Church Ready to Bless Gay Couples

Ritual would be first offered to same-sex couples by a major denomination

(Newser) - The Episcopal Church is soon expected to become the first major denomination to offer a ritual designed to bless gay couples. If approved, the rite will sure sound a lot like the marriage liturgy, as it features famed phrases like "we are gathered here today" and "I do"...

One Episcopal Congregation Converting to Catholicism

St. Luke's Parish-Anglican will get new name, but keep married pastor

(Newser) - Parishioners of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Maryland arrived at services Sunday and got an unexpected sermon: Rev. Mark Lewis informed the congregation that he and other church leaders wanted the entire parish to convert to Catholicism. “We didn’t know for sure how people would react,”...

Jim McGreevey Bid to Become Priest Rejected

Not for being gay, but because former NJ gov is 'a jackass'

(Newser) - Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who resigned in 2004 after acknowledging he is a "gay American," had his eye on a new job—but so far it's not working out. McGreevey tried to join the priesthood, but the Episcopal Church rejected him, the New York Post...

1st Openly Gay Bishop to Retire
 1st Openly Gay Bishop to Retire 

1st Openly Gay Bishop to Retire

Eugene Robinson says the experience has taken its toll

(Newser) - Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopalian whose election to bishop reverberated through the religious world, will take early retirement in 2013, reports the Boston Globe. "The last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family, and you,” Robinson told an annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese...

Texas School Rejects Lesbians' Daughter

Episcopal school doesn't agree with their lifestyle

(Newser) - A little girl in Texas was denied admission to a private school because her parents are lesbians, Fox News reports. When Jill and Tracy Harrison, who married in Canada, enrolled daughter Olivia at St. Vincent’s Episcopal School last month, they crossed out the word “father” on the admissions...

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...

LA Lesbian Bishop Rattles Anglicans

Archbishop of Canterbury not happy

(Newser) - The decision by the US Episcopal Church in Los Angeles to elect the first openly lesbian Anglican bishop in the world has sparked a sharp new controversy over gay church leaders. "I feel deeply ashamed that this is happening," says a leader of a conservative branch of the...

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...

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...

'Father Oprah,' Fiancée Set Wedding Date

Former Catholic cleric plans Episcopalian nuptials

(Newser) - The onetime Catholic priest whose cavorting with his then-girlfriend led to his departure from the church is headed for the altar—as the groom. The Rev. Alberto Cutié, aka the "kissing priest," and his girlfriend of 2 years plan to wed this month in the Episcopal church,...

Openly Gay Bishop Tapped for Inauguration

Robinson will speak Sunday, has been critical of Warren

(Newser) - Barack Obama has asked Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the only openly gay Episcopal bishop, to deliver the invocation at the opening event of Inauguration Week, the Boston Globe reports. Robinson had been among those who criticized Obama for asking same-sex marriage opponent Rick Warren to deliver the main inaugural invocation.

DC Churches Woo Obamas
 DC Churches Woo Obamas 
OPINION

DC Churches Woo Obamas

Picking the inclusive National Cathedral would send a powerful message

(Newser) - The new first family will be looking for a place of worship in Washington, DC, and area congregations are feverishly offering up their advantages: presidential tradition; diversity; proximity to the White House; community activism; connections to Trinity, the Obamas' former Chicago church; a pastor who hails from Hawaii. A historian...

California Episcopals Split Over Gay Rights

Legal battles likely to ensue after diocese breaks with church

(Newser) - A California diocese split with the Episcopal Church today over its defense of gay and women's rights, Reuters reports. The Diocese of San Joaquin, home to 47 churches and 8,800 congregants around Fresno, voted for the break by a vote of 173-22 among delegates. “This is the first...

Episcopalians Affirm Gay Rights Stand
Episcopalians Affirm Gay Rights Stand

Episcopalians Affirm Gay Rights Stand

But pledge 'restraint' in naming gay bishops to avoid schism

(Newser) - Episcopal leaders wrapping up their meeting in New Orleans yesterday pledged to “exercise restraint” in selecting gay bishops and blessing same-sex marriages, but declined to disavow either practice. The move was designed to appease Anglicans, who sought a ban. “This is a ‘try to keep your foot...

Church Near Breaking Point over Gay Priests

World Anglicans frown on homosexuals among top US Episcopalians

(Newser) - US Episcopal bishops are about to sit down to talk with leaders of the greater Anglican communion on the simmering issue of homosexuality within the church, but the fact that a lesbian is under serious consideration as a candidate for bishop of Chicago may be a signal that the Americans...

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