Va. Bishop: Time to Prepare for Same-sex Blessings

January 25, 2011
The Living Church

The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Bishop of Virginia, will begin working with parishes immediately on guidelines for blessing same-sex unions.

Bishop Johnston announced his decision at the Diocese of Virginia’s 216th Annual Council, which met Jan. 20-22 in Reston.

The bishop will work “with those congregations that want to establish the parameters for the ‘generous pastoral response’ that the 2009 General Convention called for with respect to same-gender couples in Episcopal churches,” he said Jan. 21. “I hope that the 2012 General Convention will authorize the formal blessing of same-gender unions for those clergy in places that want to celebrate them. Until then, we might not be able to do all that we would want to do but, in my judgment, it is right to do something and it is time to do what we can.”

The next day the council approved a resolution that urged Bishop Johnston to work on such parameters. the rest