The Episcopal church’s House of Bishops voted by a margin of more than 3 to 1 on July 15 to begin a process that would probably allow some parishes to bless same-sex marriages, but did not adopt on an official prayer to be used for the ceremonies.
The complex resolution must now be considered by the second legislative group at the convention, the House of Deputies, which is comprised of clergy and lay people.
The bishops are meeting this week in Anaheim along with other clergy and lay people at the church’s General Convention which is held every three years. The gathering sets rules and policies for the US church which is part of the worldwide Anglican communion.
The resolution passed by the bishops says that the church must “acknowledge changing circumstances” while it considers blessing same-sex marriages, according to Episcopal Life.
If ratified by the House of Deputies, the resolution appears to give official permission for bishops – especially those in states where marriage equality is recognized – to offer blessings for the marriages of gay and lesbian couples. But the resolution does not offer guidance on what kinds of prayers should be used for the blessing ceremonies. It also makes it clear that no bishop is required to permit same-sex blessings.
Exactly what the resolution means is the subject of debate even among those at the convention who understand the unique language being used there.
After the resolution passed, the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA, an LGBT advocacy group within the Episcopal community, called the vote “a big step forward on same-sex blessings,” Episcopal Life reports.
“I am delighted to be moving forward,” Russell added.
But others said the the complicated resolution is studded with enough caveats that it might not change much at all.
Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago, who voted for the resolution, told Episcopal Life, “there’s a lot of ground between here and there” for blessing same-gender relationships.
Episcopal bishops vote to (probably) allow blessing of same-sex marriages [contd.]
The bishops voted for a revised, substitute resolution yesterday. Before the vote – which came with a packed gallery of spectators, the bishops considered several amendments, extended debate, and took a 20-minute time-out for private discussion, Episcopal Life reports.
The House of Bishops stopped short of adopting an official liturgy for the blessings, but appointed a group to develop such prayers that would be considered at the next convention in 2012, New York Times reports.
Bishop Andy Doyle of Texas, who voted against the resolution, echoed the threats of other conservatives in the church when he warned that the vote could cause conservatives to break ties with the Episcopal church.
But he then told Episcopal Life that the resolution was meaningless: “Nothing we did today actually did anything other than provide for the collection of and design of rites for a conversation. That’s very important to understand. We didn’t bless or move toward blessings any more than we were.”
The differing interpretations of the resolution are partly the result of the political/theological and bureaucratic language used at the convention. The language is dense, often obtuse, and difficult to understand – even, it would seem, for some of those using the language.
The official church publication Episcopal Life tends to use the dense language of the convention in its reports. It writes:
The measure authorizes bishops, in conjunction with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM), to devise an open process, to invite participation and theological reflection, and to report their efforts to the 77th General Convention in 2012 in Indianapolis.
New York Times reporter Laurie Goodstein deconstructs the resolution this way:
The measure was written to defer to bishops who oppose adopting a liturgy for same-sex blessings and to those who say their constituents are not ready for such a step. But it opens the door to doing so in the future, saying they will “collect and develop theological and liturgical resources” for same-sex blessings, and report to the next convention three years from now, which could then design an official rite. …
Over two days of debate, some bishops said they felt compelled to act because of their pastoral responsibility to gay couples who were increasingly coming forward to ask the church to bless their unions. Many also said they saw it as a simple matter of granting equal rights to gay men and lesbians.
The original resolution to offer blessings for gay and lesbian couples was offered in the House of Bishops by the leaders of dioceses in the New England states and Iowa where same-sex marriage is allowed. The substitute resolution was presented after those bishops met with others in a series of private discussion forums that are called “indaba” in the bureaucratic language of the church.
Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont told bishops that, after discussions were postponed July 14, he and Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe hosted two indaba-style forums attended by 26 bishops, according to Episcopal Life.
“We are grateful for the time we spent in this conversation and urge that similar opportunities be provided at future meetings of the House of Bishops,” he added.
The substitute resolution that the bishops eventually voted on was drafted by a handful of bishops who attended those gatherings, Episcopal Life reports.
Source: Episcopal Life Online - NEWS