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ROCHESTER, NY: Gay priest speaks out about Episcopal Church controversy
by Joylynn Whitfield
WROC-TV
"I really don't give my sexuality a second thought here. I think for the most part my parishioners don't either. To them I' m a Priest, and I happen to be gay," said Rev. Michael Hopkins.
Father Michael Hopkins pastors St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene in Downtown Rochester. He has a personal interest in the current debate over church and sexuality.
"I understand there are going to be people in my church who don't agree with me, in fact who don't think I should be ordained," said Rev. Hopkins.
Among them are the members of the All Saints congregation in Irondequoit.
All Saints was kicked out of the diocese because it refused to make its annual payment to the Diocese after the national Episcopal Church supported the ordaining of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003
"To do that is to hold the diocese hostage, to say you have to agree with us or we're not going to be apart of you is to hold us hostage, and that's not fair," said Rev. Michael Hopkins.
To help with the ongoing "sexuality" debate the Rochester Diocese has the "Committee for Gay and Lesbian Ministry." The committee's dual purpose is to educate congregations within the diocese and to welcome the gay and lesbian community.
"We think our church is big enough and has historically big enough to hold in tension and in love all of those who want to be together and worship God," said John Bradley, a standing member of the committee.
The diocese has 30 churches that have announced they welcome gays and lesbians. Some members of the committee believe the church has tackled the issues of race and sex, and is now being taught a new lesson.
Now, I think the Holy Spirit teaches the church about the evils of homophobia, discrimination of gay and lesbian people," Bradley said.
The Episcopal Church doesn't stand alone in the debate of sexuality and the church. The issue has become a dividing factor in many protestant churches. The issue is also at the forefront of the Catholic Church. Next week, the Vatican is expected to release a document that bans homosexuals from entering the priesthood.
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