A huge announcement out of Washington is receiving mixed reviews among the religious and gay communities. The historic Washington National Cathedral is set to confirm plans to begin welcoming the LGBT community couples and their wedding parties.
The Washington National Cathedral, where the nation gathers to mourn tragedies and celebrate new presidents, will soon begin performing same-sex marriages.
Cathedral officials tell The Associated Press the church will be among the first Episcopal congregations to implement a new rite of marriage for same-sex male, same-sex female, both-gender sexuality, and transgender members. The church will announce its new policy Wednesday.
As the nation’s most prominent church, the decision carries huge symbolism. The 106-year-old cathedral has long been a spiritual center for the nation, hosting presidential inaugural services and funerals for Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The Very Rev. Gary Hall, the cathedral’s dean, said performing same-sex marriages is an opportunity to break down barriers and build a more inclusive community “that reflects the diversity of God’s world.”
“I read the Bible as seriously as fundamentalists do,” Hall told the AP. “And my reading of the Bible leads me to want to do this because I think it’s being faithful to the kind of community that Jesus would have us be.”
What say you Bossipers? Do you think this decision will tarnish the Cathedral’s longstanding traditional reputation? Or will serve as a positive step forward for the religious community with regard to gay marraige?
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