Religion Roundup
Minister at Lesbian Weddings Acquitted by Church Court
The Associated Press
April 30, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO - The highest court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has found that a California minister did not violate denominational law when she officiated at the weddings of two lesbian couples.
The ruling overturns a decision last year by a regional judicial committee that found the Reverend Jane Spahr guilty of misconduct and gave her a rebuke -- the lightest possible punishment.
The PCUSA's high court found that Spahr did not violate the church's constitution because the ceremonies she performed were not marriages, even though that is what the veteran minister -- herself a lesbian -- called them. The constitution defines marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman.
Presbyterian ministers are allowed to bless same-sex unions as long as the ceremonies don't too closely mimic traditional marriages.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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