Tag Archives: Herald

Herald Newspaper: Unprecedented Insurrection over Gay Marriage Ban

The Herald newspaper has a new report on the situation relating to the Bishops’ December 2014 statement: Traditional Weddings Threat as Church Faces Unprecidented Insurrection Over Gay Marriage Ban

The report begins:

CHURCH leaders are facing an unprecedented insurrection amongst their own ministry over their gay marriage ban, with signals some clergy will not carry out any weddings until the matter is resolved.

In what has been described as the biggest crisis to engulf it in living memory, over 50 Scottish Episcopalian Church (SEC) clergy – around one in six – have signed a letter condemning the stance of their bishops over same-sex marriage.

Amongst the signatories are some of the SEC’s most prominent figures, including current and former deans of three dioceses, essentially bishops’ deputies and the equivalent of an archdeacon in the Church of England, and two provosts, the senior priests in Episcopalian cathedrals.

While unhappy over the general stance of the SEC on gay marriage, the ire is focused primarily on the ban on the clergy and trainees turning their civil partnerships into marriage.

The letter also contains a veiled warning some members of the SEC clergy could refuse to conduct any weddings while the row rumbles on.

It also includes a couple of quotes from outside the Scottish Episcopal Church.

From Ali Chesworth in Ipswich:

I was saddened and dismayed to read this guidance from a province which has in the past taught so much about an inclusivity unparalleled by the other Anglicans in the UK.

and from Fr Ron Smith in New Zealand:

A very brave, but also much-needed moral stance. Let’s hope your voices are heard by the bishops of SEC.

The story also reports comments from a senior source in the Scottish Episcopal Church:

One senior source said: “This is an unprecedented crisis in the Scottish Episcopalian Church. There is an urgent need for change of tone from the bishops and a new and accelerated timetable for resolving this matter.”