REPORT: An Anglican church has held a homosexual "wedding" for the first time in a move that will deepen the rift between liberals and traditionalists, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
Two male priests exchanged vows and rings in a ceremony that was conducted using one of the church's most traditional wedding rites – a decision seen as blasphemous by conservatives.
The ceremony broke Church of England guidelines and was carried out last month in defiance of the Bishop of London, in whose diocese it took place. News of the "wedding" emerged days before a crucial summit of the Anglican Church's conservative bishops and archbishops, who are threatening to split the worldwide Church over the issue of homosexual clergy.
Although some liberal clergy have carried out "blessing ceremonies" for homosexual couples in the past, this is the first time a vicar has performed a "wedding ceremony", using a traditional marriage liturgy, with readings, hymns and a Eucharist.
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Calif prepares for busy week of same-sex marriages
REPORT: City worker Eileen Shields usually spends her days answering questions about West Nile Virus, bed bugs and other health concerns, but next week she'll be one of hundreds of volunteers at City Hall helping same-sex couples tie the knot.
Shields, who works in the communications office at the city's Department of Public Health, was inspired to help pronounce couples "spouses for life" because her daughter married a woman in Massachusetts last year and she wanted to help others share the same joy.
"Those are powerful words and it's a very solemn responsibility," said Shields, who is volunteering on her own time.
On Monday, California is due to become the second state to allow gays to marry, and county officials statewide are preparing for an expected flood of weddings over the next several weeks. To help absorb the crowds, they are adding staff, extending hours and training and deputizing hundreds of volunteer marriage commissioners.
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