Chicago Bishop Says Church Must Honor Stable Same-sex Unions
Episcopal News Service. January 27, 1999 [99-2292F]
(ENI) In a recent interview Bishop-elect William Persell of Chicago said he supports the blessing by the church of same-sex unions and hopes that supporters and critics of his viewpoint will learn to listen to one another.
"I think we're in a time when we have to learn and accept each other," he said.
The issue of homosexuality and same-sex blessings is highly controversial, both among Protestant denominations in the United States and within the world-wide Anglican Communion. Last year's Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops declared overwhelmingly that "homosexual practice" was incompatible with Scripture.
Persell, who will be consecrated at a ceremony in March, said his support of same-sex unions was apparently not a significant negative factor during the selection process for the Chicago diocese "I'm not naive. I know I'll take a certain amount of flack for it."
He said his stance on same-sex unions was not an "intellectual issue, but a pastoral issue" based on his experience with the parishes he had served.
"Every church I have been in has had a large gay and lesbian membership. How do you say to people they're second-class, even though God created them as gay and lesbian? We do precious little in the church to encourage long-term relationships among same-sex couples. We ought to honor those."