Episcopalians set to be first big U.S. church to bless gay marriage

[Globus Cruciger]

The Episcopal Church is NOT" the first big U.S. church" to bless same-sex marriages - the United Church of Christ accepted them many years ago. The article even mentions that fact. I really don't see how 1 million is small but 2 million is big.

Good for them. Hopefully the Catholic church will follow in their footsteps 2 or 3 popes from now.

If the Catholic Church ever redefined its sexual morality, it would lose all moral authority, because it defines itself as being infallible. Unlike Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church doesn't have the luxury of being wrong - its very existence is defined as the One True Church.

If the Rome of the future is fine with homosexuality, well I don't understand why anyone would want to join a church that had perpetrated such a monstrous fraud over its flock, and then turned around in the opposite direction. You'll never know what it might do next.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

The Episcopal Church is NOT" the first big U.S. church" to bless same-sex marriages - the United Church of Christ accepted them many years ago. The article even mentions that fact. I really don't see how 1 million is small but 2 million is big.

Good for them. Hopefully the Catholic church will follow in their footsteps 2 or 3 popes from now.

If the Catholic Church ever redefined its sexual morality, it would lose all moral authority, because it defines itself as being infallible. Unlike Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church doesn't have the luxury of being wrong - its very existence is defined as the One True Church.

If the Rome of the future is fine with homosexuality, well I don't understand why anyone would want to join a church that had perpetrated such a monstrous fraud over its flock, and then turned around in the opposite direction. You'll never know what it might do next.

The Roman Catholic Church can and has changed its understanding of moral subjects, it just does so slowly enough that most people don't notice.

[J. J.]

Good for them. Hopefully the Catholic church will follow in their footsteps 2 or 3 popes from now.

You could just convert to Episcopalianism and not have to wait you know...

I'll never formally convert, but I have been going to Episcopal mass with my wife lately.  Good thing I never got around to learning the new Catholic mass ("consubstantial with the Father?" come on...), since now I have a third version to learn.

That said, I don't think there's going to be any gay weddings soon in any kind of church around here, Episcopal or otherwise.  The Episcopal priest who married us actually made alluded to being against gay marriage in a few comments during the premarital counseling, so I'm really curious if he'll be required to perform them under the new rules, or if the entire Mississippi diocese will be able to disallow them.

The latter. It's recommended but, since it's provisional, bishops don't have to try it out just yet.

First, the traditional Episcopal (and I think Catholic) position is that the parties marry each other; the church blesses or solemnizes the marriage.

Second, I would expect an opt out clause, similar to remarriage after divorce.  The Episcopal canons permit  a priest to decline to officiate if the parties if it is a remarriage, but they are not required to decline.  Some permit it all cases, some if the party is the "innocent party," some will just refuse outright if the former spouse is living.