Lutheran Synod votes for compromise on gay couples (HS)
The Synod of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church voted on Friday morning to authorise the holding of prayer services for the union of same-sex couples.
The measure was passed by a vote of 78 to 30. Many delegates would have wanted to authorise a blessing ceremony for lesbian and gay couples, but settled for the compromise, under which next year’s Bishops’ Conference will be asked to prepare instructions for ministers and parish employees for prayers.
The guidelines will not involve a strict formula for a ceremony, giving plenty of leeway to arrange the proceedings as the people involved see fit. Church workers will also be allowed to decline to participate in such an event.
Archbishop Kari Mäkinen was pleased with the outcome.
“The decision accepts the human value of every person. No type of insulting or denigrating attitude toward homosexual people is acceptable. But at the same time, this keeps marriage as a union between a man and a woman”, Mäkinen said.
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Complete article at Helsingin Sanomat : http://bit.ly/d6J24g
