Church blessing for homosexual vicar
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 22/12/2005)

A homosexual vicar flouted Church of England guidelines yesterday by having his "marriage" blessed in church.

The Rev Christopher Wardale and Malcolm Macourt, a retired academic, attended a service in St Thomas the Martyr church in Newcastle after a civil partnership ceremony in the nearby Civic Centre.

The blessing was given during the sermon, which was preached by the former bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev David Jenkins, now an honorary assistant bishop in the diocese of Ripon and Leeds.

The couple repeated the commitment they had made before the registrar and placed their left hands, each with a gold ring on the wedding finger, in the hand of Bishop Jenkins. The rest