The Bishop of Olympia, the Rt. Rev. Vincent W. Warner, Jr., has prevented the blessing and commitment of a same-sex couple from taking place at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle. Four days before the service was to be held for two gay men, Bishop Warner asked that the ceremony be stopped from taking place.

The blessing for Thomas Monnahan and Dr. John Black was to have taken place at the cathedral Dec. 11, with the Very Rev. Frederick Northup, dean, and the Rev. Canon Linda Strohmier, then St. Mark's pastoral minister who has become evangelism coordinator for the national church, officiating. Some 450 relatives and friends, including Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, had been invited.

Bishop Warner said the service should not take place because the issue of blessing same-sex relationships had not been settled and was part of the ongoing dialogue of the House of Bishops.

"It really is painful for me to be in a place where I can't be more supportive," Bishop Warner told The Seattle Times. "But the fact is, as a church, we haven't found a way to do that."

Dr. Black, 52, a radiologist in Renton, Wash, and Mr. Monnahan, 39, said they decided to cancel the service after learning of Bishop Warner's opposition.

"The message of the founder of our faith is one of love and compassion, not hate," Dr. Black told the Times. "This was going to be a celebration of love, commitment and joy."

The couple said cancellation notices were sent to guests who were planning to go to Seattle from as far as Vietnam and England. Dr. Black added they planned to continue to be part of St. Mark's congregation.

"I hope there will come a day when the dragon of prejudice will be killed," he said.

Dean Northup told the Seattle paper that Bishop Warner had agreed to have a diocesan dialogue on such services, and that he hoped such discussions would "lead to a different attitude," on the part of the bishop.