Episcopalians Edge Toward Same-Sex Endorsement

DENVER, July 11 (RNS)--The Episcopal Church Tuesday took a first major step toward the "support" of same-sex relationships, even as it narrowly defeated a call to create special ceremonies to recognize gay unions.

The church's House of Deputies, composed of 832 clergy and lay delegates, passed a sweeping resolution Tuesday affirming relationships "characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication and holy love" between two people, whether gay or straight.

While not explicitly naming same-sex couples, the resolution was a compromise to grant recognition of same-sex relationships while not going so far as to officially bless or sanction them.

But in a separate vote on whether to request specific rites to "support"--not bless--such lifelong relationships, the church said no by a razor-thin margin. The measure could not garner a majority of votes from either lay or clergy delegates.

The measure, minus the request for rites, now heads on Wednesday to the 200-member House of Bishops for an up or down vote. The resolution does not hold the weight of church law and needs approval from both houses to become official.

The action by the 2.5 million-member church, which is meeting through Friday for its triennial General Convention, represents one of the strongest statements made by a major Protestant church in support of gay and lesbian rights, and indeed the strongest statement made yet by Episcopalians.

Tuesday's vote marked the only major gay rights victory in any Christian church to emerge from a string of summer conventions. Earlier this summer, both the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) upheld their positions against same-sex unions and gay ordination. In March, the nation's Reform rabbis voted to allow the blessing of same-sex unions.

Gay rights supporters in the church heralded the vote as a major first step toward official church blessing of gay marriages, even though the church declined to create specific ceremonies.

"This process is still a step forward," said Scott Larsen, a spokesman for Integrity, a gay and lesbian Episcopalian group. "It's a smaller step than we had hoped for, but a step forward is [still] positive."

The measure also has sweeping implications for the church's stamp of approval on heterosexual unmarried couples living together in "life-long committed relationships." While it was clearly not the resolution's intention to support out-of-wedlock couples, several church leaders agreed that could be read into the document.

That issue may come up in Wednesday's vote in the House of Bishops.

"It's an interpretation I'm personally against," said Bishop Charles Duvall of Pensacola, Fla. "I think it complicates things. I don't believe it's a good thing for unmarried people to live together. That's what marriage is for."

Surprisingly, most delegates were generally supportive of the measure and strongly disagreed only over the request to create special services.

"It seems odd to me that we would prepare rites where we haven't even decided that this is the policy of our church," said the Rev. Mark Seitz, a pastor from West Virginia. "It is, in my mind, like buying a house before you need one or decide to live in it."

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