Church of England faces 'crisis’ as gay priest weds

[FarCenter]

A priest has become the first in Britain to defy the Church of England’s ban on gay clergy marrying.

Canon Jeremy Pemberton, 58, a divorced hospital chaplain, wed his long-term partner Laurence Cunnington, 51, on Saturday afternoon.
Campaigners expressed delight that the couple had taken advantage of Britain’s newly-introduced gay marriage laws and urged bishops to “bless” their partnership. They predict he will be the first of many gay clergy to marry.

But a leading member of the Church’s conservative evangelical wing called for “discipline” of any clergy seen to be breaking the rules. He warned of a “crisis” if the leadership failed to take action.

Canon Pemberton, who has five children, is a chaplain at Lincoln hospital and also works in the Church’s Southwell and Nottingham diocese. In 2012 he was a signatory to a letter to The Telegraph from dozens of clergy warning that if the Church refused to permit gay weddings in its own churches they would advise members of their congregations to marry elsewhere.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10762940/Church-of-England-faces-crisis-as-gay-priest-weds.html

[closeupready]

1. Well, yes, I guess so - Anglo-Saxon homophobia is dying.

So in that sense, I suppose this would represent a 'crisis' to those who are closeted gay people and have vested interests in supporting homophobia for those who defy social conventions.