“In what is believed to be the first gay union
involving a serving Church of Ireland cleric, the Very Rev Tom Gordon,
who is originally from Portadown, confirmed that he had
formalised the relationship under new laws introduced in the Republic
earlier this year”, states a report.
The Rev Gordon, who is Dean of Leighlin Cathedral in Co Carlow, said
that the ceremony had taken place at a registry office on July 29.
A spokesman for the Church of Ireland declined to comment in detail, saying that it was a “civil matter”.
It is understood that there was one other case previously, which
involved a retired Church of Ireland minister who entered a civil
partnership.
The development seems certain to re-ignite the fierce and long-running Anglican debate about homosexuality.
Generally the Church of Ireland has been more conservative than the
larger Church of England, which has seen several clergy enter civil
partnerships since the new unions were created by the government in 2005
but requires them to affirm that they will remain celibate in the
partnerships.
When contacted by the News Letter yesterday at his home in Carlow,
the Rev Gordon said: “I’m a very transparent person and I can confirm
with you that yes, the civil partnership happened on July 29. That’s a
matter of openness.”
The 54-year-old cleric said that he “hadn’t really” thought about the reaction to his decision to enter a civil partnership.
However, when asked whether he had spoken to the church prior to his
decision and whether he had received support from the church, the Rev
Gordon said: “I don’t think that I would be prepared to comment on
anything else on that.
“I’m a very, very transparent person. I would be surprised if this
came as a surprise to anyone and I suppose that is as far as I would
really want to comment.”
A spokesman for the Church of Ireland said: “This is a civil matter. I
understand that it [the partnership] has taken place. In answer to your
enquiry about whether it is the first instance [of a Church of Ireland
minister entering a civil partnership], I understand that it is not”.
The Rev Gordon has been in the Republic since 1991. He is a former
lecturer at the Church of Ireland theological college in Dublin and is
coordinator of religious programmes involving the Protestant churches
for RTE.
In January 2009 the Church of Ireland Gazette reported that the Rev
Gordon was one of two staff at the Church of Ireland Theological
Institute who were “leaving their posts this year ‘by mutual agreement’
between the church and themselves”.
Last September the Rev Gordon was installed as Dean of the Cathedral
of St Laserian, Leighlin, in the Diocese of Cashel and Ossory.
A report on the diocesan website said that the service was conducted
by Bishop Michael Burrows and the preacher was the Rev Dr Adrian Empey,
former principal of the Church of Ireland Training College.
Bishop Burrows is seen as being one of the church’s most liberal
bishops and prior to being appointed a bishop said that he regularly
gave communion to practising homosexual couples.