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LONDON: Vicar's blessing ignores guidelines from bishops
By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
THE TIMES
December 22, 2005
A VICAR who had his civil partnership blessed at a church service yesterday could face disciplinary action from the Church of England.
The Rev Christopher Wardale, 59, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Darlington, Co Durham, and Malcolm Macourt, 58, a retired lecturer, registered their union at a ceremony in Newcastle before having it blessed at a local church. The blessing, attended by Dr David Jenkins, the former Bishop of Durham, breached guidelines issued in July by the bishops of the Church.
Clergy were advised against conducting formal blessings of civil partnerships to avoid equating them with marriage.
In the guidelines, condemned by evangelical Anglican Communion archbishops from the Global South as giving the appearance of “evil”, the bishops said that clergy could enter into partnerships, but only if they would abide by Church teaching that sex should be confined to heterosexual marriage.
The guidelines are an attempt to head off a split between conservatives and liberals over homosexuality and the clergy.
A spokeswoman for Dr Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, said yesterday: “The bishop is taking advice about what action to pursue.”
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