Claiming the Blessing Announces Convention Objectives
03/30/2006

Representatives from the advocacy groups Integrity and Claiming the Blessing intend to make their presence known during the 75th General Convention. The steering committee for Claiming the Blessing announced March 25 a series of General Convention objectives at the conclusion of a joint meeting with the board of Integrity at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland.

The 13-point platform includes calls for the Episcopal Church to:
• Clarify its theology of marriage, family and human sexuality, and study the role of clergy as civil magistrates in marriage;
• Reaffirm the sacredness of long-term, committed relationships as defined in Resolution D039 of the 73rd General Convention;
• Authorize the development of liturgical rites of blessings where civil marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships are a reality, and elsewhere;
• Engage the international community in a listening process which includes the active voices and full presence of lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual (LGBT) persons;
• Reaffirm that all orders of ministry are open to all the baptized who are otherwise qualified; and
• Establish as church policy the commitment not to meet in those places where justice and liberation for all God’s children, including LGBT people, are absent in state law or local ordinance.

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