wfn.org | Episcopal leaders in Vermont divided over issue of gay marriages

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2000-035

Church leaders in Vermont divided over issue of gay marriages

by James Solheim

     (ENS) The prospect that Vermont will approve same-sex 
marriage is exposing a deep rift among the state's religious 
leaders.

     In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Roman 
Catholic Bishop Kenneth Angell said, "Today in Vermont the 
sacredness of marriage and the family as ordered by God is in 
jeopardy, and those who honor that sanctity are called to defend 
it with courage and conviction." Episcopal Bishop Mary Adelia 
McLeod countered by arguing in favor of gay unions. "Such action 
will serve to strengthen [the state's] social fabric and is not a 
threat to traditional marriage," she said.

     The committee has shown some reluctance to deal with the 
implicit moral issues in the debate, provoked by the Vermont 
Supreme Court's ruling that found that the exclusion of gay and 
lesbian couples from the rights and benefits of marriage is 
unconstitutional. The court told the legislature that it could 
provide those benefits either by modifying the statutes on 
marriage or through a domestic partnership provision.

     Angell said that he was praying for the lawmakers, pointing 
out that there was no way that the Roman Catholic Church could 
accept marriage between couples of the same sex or a domestic 
partnership system. His viewpoint was supported by other 
religious leaders. The Rev. Craig Bensen of the Burlington Area 
Evangelical Association, for example, denounced homosexuals and 
suggested that a 12-step program like the one used in Alcoholics 
Anonymous might cure them.

     But Rabbi Michael Cohen of Manchester told lawmakers that 
they had an opportunity to seize history and advance the cause of 
civil rights, that they could make a difference in the lives of 
lesbians and gay men who endure hostility. "You have an 
opportunity to change that social climate, to do something 
great," he said.

     United Methodist Bishop Susan Morrison and Rabbi Joshua 
Chasan and 14 other colleagues joined McLeod in endorsing gay 
marriage. "I live a traditional Jewish life and I know in my 
heart of hearts that homosexuality is as righteous as 
heterosexuality," Chasan said. "I'd be an utter fraud, especially 
after the Supreme Court decision, if I didn't make plain my view 
that to deny the right of marriage to homosexuals is a sin."

Time for emancipation

     In a separate statement signed by 95 clergy from Vermont, 
the religious leaders said that they "believe that marriage can 
only be strengthened by extending our understanding of marriage 
to include the faithful committed relationships of same-gender 
couples We believe that human beings are called to live in right 
relationship with each other and with God. Therefore legalizing 
marriage for same-gender couples will build community, support 
the well-being of children and families, and promote the common 
good."

     McLeod also sent an article, "Let the church be the first to 
issue an Emancipation Proclamation," to every church in the 
diocese, instructing them to read it during a Sunday worship 
service. In it she reminded the diocese that she believes that 
"homosexual persons choosing to live together in a life-long 
union are not committing a sin." In the diversity of God's 
creation, "God's great gift of love and expressing that love 
cannot and should not be denied for those among us who happen to 
be homosexual."

     Using the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted slaves 
the right to marry, as an analogy, McLeod said, "It is time for 
Christians to issue our Emancipation Proclamation for our 
homosexual brothers and sisters."

--James Solheim is director of News and Information for the 
Episcopal Church.