Bishop gets final say on divisive issue

CORNWALL - Anglicans across Canada are watching closely today as Ottawa becomes the first diocese in the country to grapple with the divisive issue of same-sex unions after the national body ruled against it last summer.

Most of the 300 or so clergy and lay people meeting here are expected to support a motion asking that priests be allowed to bless same-sex couples who have already been married in a civil ceremony, as long as the parish approves.

Ottawa Bishop John Chapman cautioned that even if the motion passes today, any final say will fall to him, not to the diocese or to any parish. However, he said he welcomes the motion because it will give him a reading of where congregants stand on the issue. "What they're doing here is getting a sense of the heart and mind of the diocese." In general, Ottawa clergy support the blessing of same-sex unions, as do most of the churches in the Ottawa area. However, there is a small but strong group of traditionalists who feel that homosexuality is wrong. They may welcome gay people to church, but they cannot bless what they see as a sin.

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