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I'd do it all again says vicar after gay church 'wedding'
Felix Allen16 Jun 2008
The rector of one of London's finest churches who "married" two gay men said today that he would do the same again - despite possibly facing the sack.
The Rev Martin Dudley of St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield conducted the blessing for two other clergy - the Rev Peter Cowell and the Rev David Lord - after the couple had registered their civil partnership.
The blessing on 31 May had all the accoutrements of a traditional wedding with words from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, rings, vows and St Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.
The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, has ordered an urgent inquiry into the blessing and said last night: "Services of public blessings for civil partnerships are not authorised in the Church of England or the Diocese of London.
"I will be asking the Archdeacon of London to investigate what took place."
If the Archdeacon's inquiry finds against him, Mr Dudley - whose church was founded in 1123 and featured in Four Weddings And A Funeral - could face anything from a reprimand to dismissal.
But the priest insisted today that he had done nothing wrong and that he was not concerned for his job. "It went against the guidelines but I happen to disagree with the guidelines," he said. "We weren't making a statement. It was because a friend asked me to do it."
The priest, who is married with two children, added: "I believe marriage can only be between a man and a woman, but I do not see anything wrong with blessing gay couples. I disagree with the guidelines because there are a lot of gay people, both male and female, in the church, and a lot of gay clergy.
"It seems to me that Jesus would have been sitting in the congregation."
Mr Dudley is a friend of the 50-year-old Mr Cowell, chaplain of St Bartholomew's hospital, who met his partner when Dr Lord was working as a medic at the hospital.
Dr Lord, from New Zealand, was ordained last December but has now quit as a priest after the furore surrounding his "wedding".
The ceremony is likely to form the focus for next month's Lambeth Conference - a 10-yearly gathering of Anglican leaders. Canon Chris Sugden of conservative breakaway group, Gafcon, said: "The timing appears deliberate."
It also emerged that Mr Dudley, 54, had officiated at the second marriage of a woman he had had an affair with while she was married to her first husband. He married Penny Cadle and Paul Crane four years ago. His parishioners gave a mixed response yesterday. Chorister Phillipa Murray said: "I was singing at the service. It was a very beautiful occasion but I'm not sure about gay couples getting married in church."
Reader views (5)
Typical reactions from Evangelicals. Their God is an un-unforgiving, exclusive, cold, unfeeling, un-accepting being that they pretend is a friend, when actually he's so remote from reality he could never be their friend. God made us all in His own image and He loves us all regardless of sexual orientation. We are as he has created and it's about time the bigots such as these two realised it! I don't agree with gay "weddings". Weddings are something for straight people and the purpose of them is for procreation of children, but I do agree with civil partnerships - only necessary because of the biased laws in this country against same sex couples. I do also agree that such partnerships should be blessed in church if both partners are affirming Christians and wish their partnership to be blessed by a God who loves us all.
I hope Cobby and Raynaldo are able to see how their blind, unquestioning, bigoted Bible bashing, probably mainly using such a bigot as St Paul, does nothing to promote God to unbelievers.
- Johno, London UK, 17/06/2008 06:49
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Not much charity on offer from those who claim to know the mind of "the ultimate and sovereign God ". The lady in the choir described it as a beautiful occasion and she was there.
- Paul, Teddington, UK, 16/06/2008 22:53
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British Churches should not think that whatever happened in USA should be emulated elsewhere. What happened here was a decimation of the nation and church by anti-Christians who entered this country as refugees. Wherever these people went their main goal was to monopolize the country they immigrated. After their gimmicks failed in Roman Empire, Europe and Russia, they came to USA and we succumbed to their tricks and are still paying a heavy price. We have lost both our secure family lives and faith. These rascals should not be allowed to destroy Christianity again anywhere in the world.
- Alex, NY, USA, 16/06/2008 22:41
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I totally agree with Cobbby.
I was saved at an Anglican church 25 years ago, but it didn't take me long to realise that the organization was in disrepute to basic biblical scripture.
What the world accepts as normal, acceptable behaviour, doesn't mean that a Holy, loving God agrees. In fact he may even call it an abomination.
How can a church be led by non-believers?
Like thousands of others in this nation of ours, I now attend a bible-believing house church as my disillusionment with the Church of England deepens by the day.
As to the comment "It seems to me that Jesus would have been sitting in the congregation." If he was he'd probably be saying, "give me back my church".
- Roy Naldo, Hornchurch, UK, 16/06/2008 18:53
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Whenever the church loses its status anything becomes a worthy course. Perhaps they'd like to reflect why nobody cares about entering into an Anglican church. Where is truth, is anything sacred any more, A vicar ordaining 2 men in holy matrimony? What's holy about that.
It can never be how we mere mortals think, it's about how the ultimate and sovereign God thinks, that matters more than an opinion expressed by flesh and blood.
- Cobbby, London, 16/06/2008 16:13
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