Bishop of St Asaph Holds First Gay Couple Blessing in Church in Wales
The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, the revisionist Bishop of St Asaph, Church in Wales, presided over the first blessing of a gay couple in the Church in Wales on Sunday, 14. November.
Cameron told the BBC that it was “a great honour and privilege” to lead the first blessing for a gay couple of which the Church was aware.
The Evangelical Fellowship’s position is that the ceremony did not uphold the “standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman.”
The ceremony was held in the parish church where one member of the couple serves as Priest-in-Charge. The Revd Lee Taylor told the BBC, “
“Our civil partnership took place at our local registry office in London in 2008. Although this was an important step for us it didn’t really feel like an occasion for great celebration back then,” he said.
“The ceremony was short and no religious content was permitted. It didn’t feel like a solemn and sacred moment.
“So this [blessing] is a really big step. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our love and union in the presence of God. It is exciting – a time to rejoice. It has been a very moving and meaningful service for us. It had all the bells and whistles but without the actual marriage part.”
The Governing Body of The Church in Wales voted last September to permit the blessing of same-sex couples in civil partnerships or secular marriages.
Clergy within the Church in Wales are not required to preside at such events.
