Religion
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21 June 2006Church rejects gay clergy ban 7 The Episcopal Church controversially rejected a resolution calling for a ban on gay clergy last night.Resolution A161 would have urged bishops and dioceses to refrain from electing bishops "whose manner of life presents a wider challenge to the wider church." -
21 June 2006Protestant Church approves sexually active gay clergy + A US Protestant denomination has approved a resolution allowing the ordination of non celibate gay and lesbian clergy.The Presbyterian Church's General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama, this week welcomed a report on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, which addressed the divides in Protestant groups over sexuality. -
20 June 2006Episcopal Church leader: Homosexuality not sinful 10 The first female leader of the US Episcopal Church has defended homosexuality after announcing her belief that it is not a sin.Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, 52, elected this week as the head of the 2.3 million member church, told reporters that she felt homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same sex. -
20 June 2006Church accepts apology for gay bishop tensions 7 The Episcopal Church has approved an apology from the American Anglican Church for the actions of the General Convention of 2003 when tension was created due to the appointment of gay bishop Gene Robinson.The House of Deputies welcomed an expression of regret for "straining the bonds of affection" within the Anglican Communion at the denomination's General Convention.
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16 June 2006Indianapolis church starts pro-gay campaign + First there were full-page ads in the Indianapolis Star asking, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"Then yard signs with the same message began appearing all over Indianapolis, followed by 25,000 door hangers were distributed with invitations to a Town Hall Meeting, one of which led to a lesbian's Indianapolis home being defaced with a swastika.Now major billboards across the city are also asking the question, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
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16 June 2006Rabbi arranges “modesty” parade against Jerusalem Gay Pride 23 An orthodox rabbi in Israel is arranging a "modesty parade" to counter Jerusalem's World Pride event this summer.Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak has arranged the event for two days before the gay parade on August 11 2006, organised by Shofar, an orthodox group promoting a "return to religion." -
16 June 2006Muslim cleric backs gay burnings 5 Homosexuals should be thrown off buildings or burnt to death, a Muslim cleric has proclaimed.Yusuf Qaradawi described gay people as "perverts" who should be "punished," in an interview with Al Jazeera last week.He said homosexuals should be treated the same as any other "sexual pervert." -
15 June 2006Gay bishop addresses hostile church conference 7 Attention was turned to homosexuality at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church yesterday as delegates considered resolutions on the election of gay bishops, same sex blessings and an apology for the appointment of gay clergy.Comments made by over 70 speakers at the Standing Committee showed how much of a rift the issue has caused since the appointment of gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003.
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13 June 2006Florida gay church publicises gay marriage support + The Christ Church of Peace, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Jacksonville, has launched "Know Thy Neighbour Florida," an outreach ministry directed at Floridians who believe in equal marriage rights.The church will include on their site the names of those who signed the petition in favour of the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. -
13 June 2006Episcopal conference dominated by gay row 7 Bishops, priests and laymen from over 100 dioceses will gather in Ohio this week to decide on policy regarding governance and worship, with homosexuality remaining a top issue amid reports that ministers plan to apologise for the appointment of openly gay New Hampshire bishop Gene Robinson.The Episcopal Church's 75th General Convention, which starts today, is scheduled to debate "Human rights for homosexual persons."
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12 June 2006Archbishop warns against gay marriage definitions 1 The Archbishop of Canterbury has called Britain's marriage laws a "social muddle" in regards to civil partnerships and a recent Law Commission report pushing for unmarried couple's legal rights.Dr Rowan Williams said civil partnerships were being too closely associated with marriage and are contributing to an erosion of the institution. -
12 June 2006Gay community made “scapegoats” for Anglican Church + The gay community is being made a "scapegoat" for the problems in the Anglican Church, an Irish bishop claims.The Right Reverend Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, told a meeting of the diocesan synod of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, last weekend, that rows over homosexuality are covering up a "constitutional crisis" which is hurting the inclusiveness of the Anglican Church. -
9 June 2006Vatican questions transsexual priorities + The Vatican has criticised the government of Tuscany for allowing free sex change operations for transsexuals.The Roman catholic Church's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, called the Italian region's law "incredible."It said, "Faced with problems that afflict health care in Tuscany, waiting lists for operations, insufficient funds for chemotherapy and inadequate numbers of medical staff, perhaps it would have been better not to give precedence to hormonal treatment for sex changes," Reuters news agency reported. -
9 June 2006Church rejects civil unions but vows to stop homophobia + The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has rejected calls to allow ministers to bless civil partnerships.A resolution at the Church's General Assembly in Belfast asked for a re-emphasis of the church's view on marriage while another seeked moves to address homophobia.
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7 June 2006Vatican acting like ‘dictators’ 3 The Vatican's comments on the rights of gay people are beginning to sound like the kind of propaganda used by the worst dictators, a gay group claims.The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) described recent remarks as defamatory and authoritarian. -
6 June 2006Williams reinstates bishop after gay row + An Evangelical clergyman who lost his standing as a bishop over a gay row has been reinstated by the Archbishop of CanterburyDr Rowan Williams allowed an appeal by the Reverend Richard Coekin against the revocation of his bishop licence by the Bishop of Southwark, Reverend Tom Butler.
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6 June 2006Vatican attacks gay marriage 3 The Vatican expressed fresh criticism of gay marriages today, just days before Pope Benedict XVI visits Spain, where same sex marriage is legal.The document, produced by the Pontifical Council for the Family, titled Family and Human Procreation, sets out doctrines on the relationship between family and reproduction.
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2 June 2006Evangelicals condemned after comparing gay marriage to ‘marrying a horse’ 1 A Christian lobby group has been criticised after one of its members was reported to have equated gay marriage with "people wanting to marry their horse."The remarks were printed in an Observer interview with Don Horrocks, head of public affairs at the Evangelical Alliance (EA), last weekend surrounding an upcoming legal challenge seeking UK gay marriage rights in the High Court.
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2 June 2006Methodist Church backs gay marriage + The Methodist Church has backed gay clergy and same sex marriage.In a vote at the annual state convention of the church in Minneapolis yesterday, members approved a resolution supporting equal access to the faith for all sexualities and the removal of a prohibition on 'homosexual unions.'
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30 May 2006Activists demand religion respects gay rights 4 A secular pressure group is calling on the European Union to stop religious leaders inciting violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, after a weekend of violence between religious and gay groups in Moscow.Sophie in 't Veld, an honorary associate of the UK National Secular Society, has written to Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, requesting that religious leaders attending a meeting with him today should condemn the violence.
