Bishop of Gloucester to preside at LGBT communion
The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, will be presiding at an LGBT communion early next year for the gay community.
The ceremony, arranged by the LGBT-affirming Inclusive Church, is believed to be the first time a senior bishop would preside at an LGBT communion, according to a report from Christian Today.
"As part of Bishop Rachel's ministry she celebrates the Eucharist in many churches across her diocese, to worship with fellow Christians who are all loved and valued by God," said a spokeswoman for the Gloucester Diocese.
Inclusive Church spokesman Simon Sarmiento said that there is nothing peculiar about the said communion. "It is purely a pastoral activity. It is all about safe spaces," he said.
Rev. James Paice, from the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), UK, is worried that the move would send a "very confused message" to the Anglican community.
"We say one thing about morality but here we are celebrating something else," said Paice. He added that while the Church has maintained that its teachings have not been changed, the reality on the ground shows otherwise.
He argued that the church should refrain from having an LGBT communion if it is serious about upholding the teachings in the 1998 resolution on sexuality known as Lambeth 1.10.
The service is scheduled to be held on Jan. 15 at St. Bartholomews Church in Gloucestershire. It is just one of several LGBT Eucharists that are already being conducted across the U.K.
Rev. Sue Greatorex, the local representative of Inclusive Church in the Gloucester diocese, expressed her enthusiasm about the communion.
"They are aimed at the LGBTI community to give them a safe space to be themselves and worship together," she said, adding that the traditional Anglican liturgy will be used in the ceremony.
Treweek worked as an pedriatic speech and language therapist in the NHS before she became ordained as a bishop. She became the first female bishop to be seated the House of Lords in 2015.
She was one of the advisers in The Pilling Report in 2013, which recommended a "pastoral accomodation" to allow the clergy to offer services to welcome gay relationships. The Church of England is yet to adopt the proposal.
