Mass. Episcopal priests protest gay marriage ban
Wed Mar 14, 2007

BOSTON (Reuters) - Five Episcopal priests in Massachusetts have vowed to stop performing all wedding ceremonies until the Anglican Church allows them to bless same-sex marriages, calling their protest a "holy fast."

"Gays and lesbians are part of Christ's body, the church. They are the church, as much, if not more, as I am as a straight white man," Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in the western Massachusetts town of Amherst, told his congregation on Sunday.
A copy of his sermon was sent to Reuters on Tuesday.

"We are called, I believe, to join the fast that our homosexual brothers and sisters in Christ have had to observe all their lives," Hirschfeld said. Four other priests "have expressed agreement with this fast," he said. the rest