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Friday, January 06, 2006
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Government leaders in London and Edinburgh devalue family life, according to Scotland’s most senior Roman Catholic official, the BBC reported. During his New Year’s Day homily in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O’Brien criticized civil partnerships and rebuked the Scottish Executive regarding changes to the laws on uncontested divorce. O’Brien urged political leaders to give “unequivocal support” for marriage, saying that relationships other than legal heterosexual unions are “undermining values for which generations have been treasured.” O’Brien’s comments come on the heels of Pope Benedict XVI’s challenge to the British government to acknowledge “the indispensable role of stable marriage and family life” for society’s good. Critics fired back at O’Brien, accusing the cardinal of flirting with the risk of inciting violence against gays. George Broadhead, spokesperson for the Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association, told the BBC, “These relentless Vatican-inspired attacks are reaching a level that could lead to an escalation of violence against gay people.”
KIRKLAND, Wash. — Representing a wide range of faiths, a number of religious leaders last week urged state lawmakers to approve a bill that protects gays from discrimination, the King County Journal reported. The group met at Lake Washington High School, a site they chose because it hosts Sunday services for Antioch Bible Church and its outspoken anti-gay pastor, Ken Hutcherson. About 30 clergy and activists from groups such as the Anti-Defamation League joined the call for passage of a revived bill to combat bias against gays. “We stand in the face of discrimination,” Rev. Monica Corsaro, of the University of Washington, told the Journal. The small gathering precedes a planned Jan. 23 rally on the Capitol steps in Olympia to offer support for the bill, which failed by just a single vote last year, to include sexual orientation in laws that ban discrimination based on race, sex, religion and other traits.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Only 20 percent of priests in the Springfield Diocese signed a petition against same-sex marriage, despite the Roman Catholic Church leadership’s strong support for the petition, the Springfield Republican reported. A website tracking the issue, knowthyneighbor.org, which supports gay marriage, reported that 31 of the 154 active priests in the diocese signed the document in favor of defining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman. The database includes all names on petition pages certified by the state. Larry Cirignamo of Catholic Citizenship, a group that helped organize the petition drive, said some of the priests may have signed a petition paper that was disqualified. Still, “why so many priests didn't sign is a legitimate question,” Cirignamo said.
MOSCOW — Leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church recently suspended ties with Swedish Lutherans over the issue of gay marriage, MosNews.com reported. The Moscow Patriarchate broke off relations with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Sweden when the latter decided to offer an official ceremony to bless gay couples. “We have received with great disappointment and grief the news that not only does the Lutheran Church of Sweden not oppose so-called homosexual marriages, but has even ruled to establish an official blessing ceremony,” the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement at a session in Moscow. Synod members said the Church of Sweden’s move contradicts the Bible’s concept of family and marriage, the Russians said in the statement.
SAN FRANCISCO — Among a crowd of city residents who line up for needle exchange every Tuesday night was one man who particularly stands out: a gay Buddhist monk. Tekchog, wearing his bright yellow and red robes, talked to those in line while offering clean syringes in exchange for dirty ones, according to a story in the Bay Area Reporter. Once known as David Ruch when he was addicted to crystal meth and had unsafe sex with a partner who shot speed, Tekchog now helps hand out needles in hopes of curbing the spread of HIV. “Heroin and speed users don't take holidays. They depend on us to be here,” he told the BAR. Now, the monk is teaching introductory meditation classes at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. “The classes are an opportunity to develop your mind and become happy,” he said.
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