Gay Marriage Front And Center In The UK And USA

Dr. Martin Dudley, vicar at St. Bartholomew the Great in London has reportedly officiated at a gay marriage between two male Anglican priests. The ceremony, which was similar to the Anglican wedding rite in the Book of Common Prayer, also featured an exchange of rings and confetti.

The Bishop of London has asked for an investigation of the event, and said that neither the Diocese of London nor the Church of England offers public blessings for civil partnerships. One of the men has returned to his New Zealand home, and the other plans to move to New Zealand shortly. The Rt. Rev. David Moxon, the Bishop of Waikato, NZ, issued a joint statement with one of the men involved saying that the priest had resigned his clergy license upon arrival in New Zealand.

More than 300 bishops in the Church of England are meeting in the Holy Land this week as part of a regular decennial meeting. The subject of gay marriage within the Church of England is expected to spark heated debate, as it did in 2005 when the Episcopal Church in the US, which is nominally part of the Anglican Communion, ordained an openly gay bishop. No policy decisions are expected to emerge from the meeting.

Gay marriage takes center stage in California this week because the State Supreme Court there struck down a law that narrowly defined marriage as an agreement between one man and one woman. In the ruling, the State Supreme Court indicated that June 17 would be the first day in which gay couples could take advantage of the state’s decision to recognise gay marriage. In response, officials in conservative Kern and Butte Counties in California say they will stop performing civil ceremonies altogether until further notice. The counties will issue gender-neutral marriage licenses, as required by state law.

Massachusetts is the only other state in the US to recognise gay marriage. Connecticut offers gay civil unions, and New York State says it will not authorise gay marriages but will recognise those performed in other states where gay marriage is legal. Gay marriages are also recognised in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Spain.

Keywords: Wedding News, Weddingblog, Wedding

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