Gay Wedding in London: Watching an Anglican Train Wreck

This is going to cause such a headache for ++Rowan and the Bishop of London. Having the American "pretend" bishop Gene Robinson and now this just weeks out from the Lambeth Conference is going to be like watching a train wreck when they meet this summer. This was an act of defiance of C of E canonical authority and of Bishop Chartres in London. If these priests were Roman Catholics they would be excommunicated this morning. __________________________ For this was Britain's first gay "wedding", held in one of the Church of England's oldest and most attractive churches. St Bartholomew the Great at West Smithfield, in the City of London, dates from the 12th century but it can have seen few more historic events than this. Greeted with a fanfare of trumpets, the Rev Peter Cowell and the Rev Dr David Lord celebrated their civil union with the kind of pomp and pageantry reserved for royal weddings. The couple walked up the aisle to Mendelssohn's march from A Midsummer Night's Dream A robed choir sang in Latin as incense was burned on the high altar. The service was rooted in the most traditional style, from the music to the liturgy, which was based on the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Rev Martin Dudley addressed the congregation: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together these men in a holy covenant of love and fidelity." To conservative Anglicans the use of those words in such circumstances might be blasphemous, but the packed pews indicated the level of support for the couple. Family and friends from as far away as New Zealand, where Dr Lord grew up, joined in the hymns, which included Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven and All My Hope on God is Founded. Marie Cowell read from the Book of 1 Corinthians before her son, who is a hospital chaplain at Barts and priest at Westminster Abbey – one of the Queen's churches – exchanged vows with his partner. "I, Peter, take thee, David, as my partner, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; and thereto I pledge thee my troth." Placing the ring on the fourth finger of his partner's hand, he continued: "With this ring I thee bind, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Telegraph The Liturgy is found here. UPDATE: The officiating priest writes the following to the comments section in the Telegraph: 19. Posted by The Revd Dr Martin Dudley on June 15, 2008 08:54 AM As the Rector of St Bartholomew the Great, who officiated at this service, I would like to add a little clarity to the story. First, it was not a wedding or a marriage but the blessing of a civil partnership. Mr Wynne-Jones was well aware of this from his conversation with me today. If others construe it as a wedding, than they do so deliberately in order to ferment division. Second, it was not and was intended to be a provocative act. It was not undertaken in defiance of the Bishop of London and there was no plea from him that I should not officiate at the service. Third, we should remember that this service celebrated the love that the two persons involved have for each other. I officiated at it because Fr Peter Cowell has been my friend and colleague for many years. 300 people joined in the service; nearly 200 received communion, and there were dozens of other clergy present. It was not a rally or a demonstration. If other people want to turn into a loveless battlefield for the future of the Church of England, then it is they who will carry responsibility for the consequences. WHAT A JOKE!