Bethlehem Bishop Approves Same-Sex Blessings

Posted on: November 17, 2009

Priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem (Pa.) may now provide church blessings of same-sex couples. The Rt. Rev. Paul V. Marshall, Bishop of Bethlehem, announced his decision in a Nov. 16 email message to clergy.

Without mentioning Resolution C056 specifically, the bishop wrote that General Convention “empowered bishops to make ‘Generous Provision’ regarding pastoral and liturgical ministry to same-sex couples.”

Bishop Marshall wrote that such blessings should occur in church and that the Holy Eucharist should be celebrated when that’s appropriate. Other requirements are similar to those for couples preparing for marriage: One person must be a baptized Christian and the couple should receive counseling.

The bishop cautioned his priests not to confuse blessings and marriage rites.

“People whose unions are blessed need to understand that in Pennsylvania they are not married, and that your holding yourself out as doing a ‘marriage’ without a license to perform it is a legal offense,” Bishop Marshall wrote. “So, all questions of theology aside, it is best to avoid the word in this commonwealth and at this time.”

Writing five years ago, Bishop Marshall endorsed the idea of blessing same-sex couples in his book Same-Sex Unions: Stories and Rites (Church Publishing). He encouraged priests to consult that book as they discuss blessing services with their vestries. The bishop’s book includes a rite prepared by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and the bishop said priests should use that rite for couples not already joined in a marriage or civil union.

“For persons already legally joined in another state (whether by marriage or civil union) the BCP blessing of a civil marriage, including the prayers that begin on p. 428, should be used, with the language adjusted as necessary,” the bishop wrote. “The Nuptial Blessing is always used. The Holy Eucharist may be celebrated.”

This article comes from The Living Church Foundation
http://www.livingchurch.org/

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