Charles married Felipe Sanchez Paris on April 24 in a ceremony at St.
Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, witnessed by several
hundred family members and friends.

The Right Rev. William Swing, bishop of California, decided to sever
ties with Charles after an article about the ceremony appeared in The
Chronicle. "No longer is he an assisting bishop, and no longer is he
licensed to celebrate the Sacraments here," Swing wrote in an e-mail. He
was out of town and not available to elaborate by phone.

"I can only assume that it was very difficult for Bishop Swing to do
this," said the Rev. Canon Michael K. Hansen, executive officer of the
Diocese of California. "He wouldn't do this lightly."

Although Charles is retired, he was licensed by the local diocese to
preside over weddings, baptisms and other services. Though bishops are
appointed for life, they can be stripped of their position after an
extensive legal process, but church officials said that was extremely
rare and wouldn't happen to Charles, who will remain a voting member of
the House of Bishops.

Hansen said the bishop had disciplined Charles because his wedding
ceremony too closely resembled a marriage, rather than a blessing. "We
will do a blessing of gay people, but it's not to look like a
marriage,'' he said. "We're not in the (same-sex) marriage business.''

However, according to clergy at St. Gregory's, the bishop was aware of
Charles' plans before the ceremony and had been satisfied with them.

Charles was married for several decades before he publicly came out as
gay in 1993. He did not return calls for comment.

Same-sex marriage has become a flashpoint in the Episcopalian Church,
which is already torn over gay issues.

Though same-sex unions aren't officially encouraged, the church has
acknowledged that in some dioceses, officiating over such ceremonies is
common practice.

Last year, in a hotly debated election, Gene Robinson, an openly gay
priest, became bishop of New Hampshire. The church had long held that it
was possible to ordain gay priests, as long as they were celibate, but
Robinson's election created a furor because he has a longtime partner.
Robinson and Charles remain the only two openly gay bishops.

While Charles considers himself married, the church is careful to only
use the word "blessing" when speaking about gay unions.

Swing is generally known as a liberal bishop -- albeit one with a
moderate sensibility -- who has welcomed gay people in the church. "One
aspect of dismay here is that we see an unhappy conflict between two
progressive leaders of the Episcopal church," said the Rev. Richard
Fabian, a rector at St. Gregory's. "This is not a conflict between left
and right. This is a conflict between two men who have led the church
miles forward in their careers. Each of them in his own way is a hero."

END