Presbyterian Church says minister didn't violate rules by presiding over same-sex 'marriages'

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

A San Rafael minister who presided over several same-sex ceremonies didn't violate Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) rules, because same-sex "marriages" don't exist in the church, a church court ruled Tuesday.

At the same time, the Permanent Judicial Council's ruling affirmed the right of same-sex couples to have "unions," a ceremony that would theoretically have a distinct liturgy.

The ambivalent ruling - affirming the rights of gays and lesbians to have their relationships sanctioned by the church but not considering them equal to those of heterosexual couples - is likely to disappoint both sides in the debate.

But some viewed the ruling as revealing the contradictory sentiments within the ongoing struggle over how to view committed relationships among same-sex couples.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/29/BA6310E2DK.DTL&tsp=1