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LONDON: One in 10 clergy would perform gay marriages
By Jonathan Petre and Jonathan Wynne-Jones
THE TELEGRAPH
1/14/2004
One in 10 clergy is prepared to breach Church of England policy and conduct gay marriages in their churches, research suggests today.
A survey of priests in a typical diocese found that more than a quarter believed that active homosexuality was compatible with Christianity.
The poll also found that a large majority of clergy, 77 per cent, would happily accept the authority of a woman bishop, while just 15 per cent would be opposed.
A fifth of the respondents said they did not believe in a final judgment that would condemn them either to heaven or to hell.
The survey was carried out in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. As three quarters of the clergy participated, its findings are likely to be a reasonable reflection of the national picture.
The figures confirm that the conservatives have lost the battle over women, but they still command the high ground over homosexuality.
While the poll found that nine per cent of clergy would hold gay marriages, it showed that 80 per cent would not.
When asked whether they believed that homosexual practice was consistent with Christianity and should be accepted by the Church "unconditionally", 57 per cent disagreed.
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