Archbishops regret gay 'wedding'

The Church of England's two most senior figures have expressed concern after the "marriage" of two gay priests was held at a London church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said an investigation was taking place into the service.

The couple - the Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend Dr David Lord - were already civil partners.

But the vicar who performed the ceremony insisted he had no regrets.

Writing for the New Statesman website, the Reverend Dr Martin Dudley said refusing to bless the pair "would have been a negation of everything I believe".

Critics say the service, held in May at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London, broke Church guidelines.

'Amazing flowers'

In a statement, the Archbishops expressed "great concern" over reports of the service.

They said they could not comment on the specific circumstances of the case because a an investigation had been launched by the Bishop of London.

But they said "various reference points" to the Church of England's teaching on sexuality were "well known" and remained in place.

"Those clergy who disagree with the Church's teaching are at liberty to seek to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be changed," they added.

"But they are not at liberty simply to disregard it."

But Dr Dudley, who insisted he was "robustly heterosexual", wrote that he had not carried out the ceremony to provoke traditionalists.

"It is not we who have whipped up the whirlwind, replacing words of love and inclusion with those of hatred and exclusion," he added.

He described the service as "not a gay rally or demonstration, but a truly joyful celebration". See Archbishops regret gay 'wedding'