Religion
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22 February 2006California may elect gay bishop 1 A new controversy hit the Anglican Church yesterday after the diocese of California include a gay man and a lesbian in a shortlist for its next bishop.The Daily Telegraph reported that the move will please liberals but trouble the Archbishop Of Canterbury who has previously supported calls for a suspension of the appointment of gay bishops. -
21 February 2006Vatican to combat gay marriage laws 3 Gay rights groups are criticising the Vatican this week over a debate on how to block the spread of laws in traditionally Roman Catholic countries granting legal status to homosexual marriages.Theologians and jurists are taking part in the five-day seminar at the Vatican-administered Lateran university in Rome, organised by the John Paul II institute for Studies of Marriage and the Family. -
21 February 2006Calls for protection to ministers who bless gay marriage 1 Ministers who bless civil partnerships will avoid disciplinary action under proposals to be suggested at the Church of Scotland's General Assembly.A report by the Kirk's legal questions committee will propose that individual ministers should be allowed to decide whether they want to attend the events. -
20 February 2006Pastor stands up for gay marriage 1 A pastor has announced that he would no longer conduct civil marriages for the state of Asheville in an attempt to treat gay and straight people equally.The Rev. -
17 February 2006Bishop attacks Spanish PM over gay marriage + A leading Catholic Bishop has compared the Spanish Prime Minister to Roman Emperor Caligula over Spain's legalisation of same sex marriage.Bishop Antonio Algora attacked José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Spanish newspapers, he said: "If Zapatero wants to become Caligula, it's up to him, but without doubt people will have to learn who Caligula was and what customs he imposed on Rome, it's as simple as that." -
16 February 2006Cambridge dean to defy Bishop on gay marriage 1 The dean of a leading college at Cambridge University has written to the Bishop of Ely informing him that he will break the Church of England's ban on clergy offering services for civil partnerships or gay marriages.The dean of Emmanuel College, the Rev Jeremy Caddick has written to the Bishop of Ely arguing that he believes that the college does not fall within the Church's jurisdiction. -
15 February 2006Gay bishop getting help for alcoholism + The gay bishop at the heart of the Anglican Church's dispute over homosexuality is being treated for alcoholism.New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, whose ordination in 2003 enraged conservative Anglicans and threatened to break up the church, revealed his problems in a letter on his diocese's website. -
28 January 2006Synagogue appoints gay rabbi five years after rejecting lesbian + Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London has appointed an openly gay rabbi just five years after it rejected a lesbian Rabbi to be the community's spiritual head.The synagogue was embroiled in controversy following the proposal to appoint an openly lesbian Rabbi, Melina Carr in 2000. -
27 January 2006Britain remembers the evils of holocaust + Wales yesterday played host to Britain's national Holocaust Memorial Day, commemorating the 61st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by allied troops.The event held at the Cardiff Millennium Centre was the highlight of a week of remembrance across the nation. -
26 January 2006Student expelled for being gay 2 A student at an American university claims he was expelled from his course after the institution found out that he was gay.Michael Guinn was a student at the private Christian, John Brown University in Arkansas.He claims that he was thrown of his course after the university found his internet blog that listed details of his sexuality. -
24 January 2006Muslim leader will not face charges over gay comments 12 Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, will not face charges over allegedly homophobic remarks he made in a BBC radio interview, it was confirmed yesterday.It emerged earlier this month that Sir Iqbal would face investigation over the comments made on civil partnerships and gay rights in an interview for Radio 4's PM programme. -
16 January 2006Gay groups angered by Scottish Catholics 1 Gay rights campaigners and adoption groups have been angered by the Catholic church in Scotland's plans to seek an exemption from allowing gay couples to adopt.Senior Bishops are seeking a "conscience clause" giving the church and other faith-based groups the right to reject applicants to their adoption agencies on the basis of gender.
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15 January 2006Comment: Would the Pope face arrest for homophobia? 13 PinkNews.co.uk's Marc Shoffman asks if the Pope would be welcome in Britain after his comments on gay marriage.It's been a busy month for gay rights activists.
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13 January 2006Gay rights groups protest over Pope’s stance on same sex marriage 13 Gay rights activists protested outside St Peter's Square this evening, following the condemnation of gay marriage by the Pope, Benedict XVI on Thursday.The group avoided entering the square, which is Vatican territory, but demonstrated just outside of it with banners criticising the Church's stance on homosexuality. -
4 January 2006‘Moderate’ Muslim leader says being gay is immoral 12 The leader of the Muslim Council of Great Britain has sparked condemnation by religious and political leaders, after he claimed in a radio interview that gay relationships are damaging the foundations of society, and that homosexuality carries unusually high health risks.Sir Iqbal Sacranie, heads the Muslim Council of Britain, labelled by many as a moderate Islamic group that engages with the British political system.
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4 January 2006Comment: Can we tolerate homophobia for much longer? 12 PinkNews.co.uk's Benjamin Cohen takes a personal look at the controversy concerning the comments made by Sir Iqbal Sacranie on the radio.It used to be the case that libertarians and liberals could argue with some justification that tolerance is a necessary part of a liberal society.
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3 January 2006Scottish Cardinal denounces gay marriages 4 The leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church has attacked the country's government ministers for undermining the sanctity of marriage by allowing "gay weddings".Archbishop of Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, is also set to launch an attack on the Scottish Executive for cutting the minimum separation period of divorce.In his New Year's Day homily at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, the cardinal said that during 2006, he would urge the Executive in particular to give "unequivocal support" to marriage.
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29 December 2005Pope’s stance on gay priests comes under fire 12 Gay men will be admitted into Roman Catholic seminaries to train as to become priests if they can prove that they are only "transitionally gay", that they have been celibate for a minimum of three years.However, some in the Church believe that the document risks alienating gay priests who may be well suited to the vocation.
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24 December 2005Christians accused of homophobia + A retired couple faced a police investigation this week after objecting to their council's stance on gay issues.Devout Christians, Joe Roberts 73, and his wife Helen, 68, of Fleetwood, Lancashire, wrote to Wyre Borough Council accusing them of "pandering" to minority groups.
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29 November 2005Christian pastor who compared gays to paedophiles acquitted of homophobic hate crimes 11 Sweden's highest court has acquitted a Pentecostal pastor of hate crimes after he compared homosexuality to paedophilia and bestiality.He was convicted in 2004 under Sweden's hate crimes law but today, the country's Supreme Court upheld an appeals court verdict that found that the comments made by Ake Green, 64, were protected by the country's commitment to freedom of speech and religion.
