Episcopal Bishop William Love is facing
disciplinary review after he issued a directive barring same-sex
marriages in his diocese.
In November, Love of St. Andrew's
Episcopal Church in Albany, New York said in a letter that he will
not abide by the Episcopal Church's decision to bless gay and lesbian
marriages. The policy took effect on December 2.
Love said that the decision “turns
upside down over 2,000 years of Church teaching” about marriage and
that the church had been “hijacked” by the “Gay Rights Agenda.”
“The Episcopal Church and Western
Society have been hijacked by the 'Gay Rights Agenda,' which is very
well organized, very strategic, very well financed, and very
powerful.”
“Satan is having a heyday bringing
division into the Church over these issues,” Love added.
In a letter released Friday, Episcopal
Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said that Love's actions “may
constitute a canonical offense” and referred his case for
disciplinary review.
Curry also cleared the way for same-sex
marriages to begin in Love's diocese by restricting his ability to
penalize clergy, laity and worshippers who participate in such
unions.
“[As] Presiding Bishop I am called
upon to take steps to ensure that same-sex marriage in The Episcopal
Church is available to all persons to the same extent and under the
same conditions in all Dioceses of the Church where same-sex marriage
is civilly legal,” Curry wrote on Friday.