"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."With those words, Britain’s first homosexual “wedding” took place at St. Bartholomew the Great Church in London between two male Anglican Priests.
This twelfth century church hosted a number of historic events over the centuries and was featured in the 1994 movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”
The Rev Peter Cowell and the Rev Dr David Lord exchanged vows and rings before a packed crowd in the historic church.
The liturgy was based on the Church of England’s Service of Holy Matrimony from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
Dr. Lord, a native of New Zealand, is a doctor at a hospital in Barts where Cowell serves as chaplain, as well as a priest assigned to Westminster Abbey.
The false marriage was held in defiance of Bishop in whose diocese the service was held as well as canons of the Church of England.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Dudley, rector of the parish, conducted the ceremony and is currently under investigation by the diocese.
According to a story from the London Telegraph, among those who came were some of the church's most senior clergy, including Canon Robert Wright from Westminster Abbey and chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons.
The Telegraph also quoted the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester – a conservative leader in the church – who said that the service represented a wedding "in all but name".
He said: "Strictly speaking it is not a marriage, but the language is clearly modeled on the marriage service and the occasion is modeled on the marriage service. This clearly flouts Church guidelines and will exacerbate divisions within the Anglican Communion."
This ceremony has set a new line in the sand for the Anglican church, whose bishops will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference next month.
Next week, however, over 280 conservative Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia, and Latin America will meet in the Holy Land for “GAFCON,” the Global Anglican Future Conference.
The actions by these renegade clergy in England will only fuel their concerns for the worldwide Anglican Communion.
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