From CNN- (additional links below)Men in a civil union will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England, but they are not allowed to have sex.
Intercourse between two men -- or two women -- remains a sin.
"Homosexual genital acts fall short of the Christian ideal and are to be met with a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion," according to Anglican doctrine.
Men and women in same-sex unions were already allowed to serve as priests in the Church of England, but there was a moratorium on advancement to the episcopate -- becoming a bishop -- while the church considered the issue.
The church announced Friday that if men in celibate civil unions may be priests, then there is no reason for them not to be bishops, as long as they are "living in accordance with the teaching of the Church on human sexuality."
Any priest looking to become a bishop must undergo a thorough examination of "personal and family circumstances," according to a statement released by the House of Bishops of the Church of England.
More here-
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/05/world/uk-same-sex-bishops/
From The Guardian-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/04/church-of-england-gay-bishops
The Telegraph-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9781709/Anglican-church-lifts-ban-on-gay-men-in-civil-partnerships-becoming-bishops.html
The Independent-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gay-bishops-allowed--but-they-cant-have-sex-8439002.html
The BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20918806
1 comment:
Any idea how they will actually know if the man in question actually does or doesn't have sex with his partner?
Either they're the most gullible people on Earth or they truly have lost all sense of both self-respect and respect for anyone they're telling this to.
Why not just make being gay a pre-condition for ordination; the Anglo-Catholics would hardly notice.
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