
Lutherans Allow Sexually Active Gay Priests
CHICAGO, IL -- The Evangelical Lutheran
Church, which is the largest Lutheran body in the US, said Saturday that
it will allow clergy members who are in homosexual relationships to
serve as pastors.
The ELCA, which has 4.8 million members and already allows sexually
abstinent gays to serve as pastors,
passed
a resolution at its annual assembly asking their bishops not to
discipline pastors who are in "faithful committed same-gender
relationships."
"The Church ... has just said, 'Do not do punishments,'" said Phil Soucy,
spokesman the gay rights group Lutherans Concerned. "That is huge."
At the conference, the church also instructed a committee that is
developing a social statement on sexuality to further investigate the
issue. The statement is expected to be released in 2009.
Just as recently as last month, ELCA's committee on appeals voted to
remove an openly gay pastor from St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta.
The resolution passed by a vote of 538-431. |