ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160180
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WILMINGTON, DEL.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Averting the first heresy trial of an Episcopal bishop since the 1920s, a church court ruled Wednesday that church doctrine does not explicitly bar the ordination of practicing homosexuals.
The now-retired Bishop Walter Righter was charged with heresy for ordaining the Rev. Barry Stopfel as a deacon in 1990 even though he knew Stopfel was involved in a long-term gay relationship. Stopfel has since become a priest and is rector of a church in Maplewood, N.J.
Like many retired bishops, Righter, 72, still performs confirmations, sermons and other priestly duties. Had he been tried and found guilty of being a heretic, he would not have been allowed to continue.
In its ruling Wednesday, the panel of eight bishops said a 1979 resolution against the ordination of non-celibate gays is nonbinding.
Before the ruling, the Episcopal Church allowed only the ordination of married heterosexuals, celibate single heterosexuals and celibate homosexuals. The ruling did not say whether the church now condones the ordination of gays.
``We are not giving an opinion on the morality of same-gender relationships. We are deciding the narrower issue on whether or not a bishop is restrained'' from ordaining active homosexuals, said Bishop C. Cabell Tennis, a panel member and bishop of Delaware.
A leading conservative in the church said the ruling was wrong, especially since ``the practice of homosexuality is a flagrant violation of long-held Christian belief.''
Righter said he hoped the decision meant ``there are no outcasts in the Episcopal Church.''
``The question isn't gay. It's what kind of relationship do they have. Is it monogamous? Is it faithful?''
Righter's attorney, Michael F. Rehill, said the ruling clears the way for homosexuals to fully participate in the Episcopal Church.
``There is no restraint on the rights and power of a bishop'' to ordain practicing homosexuals, Rehill said.
The bishops who brought the charges have not decided whether to appeal. Their spokesman, Bishop James Stanton of Dallas, said the group was ``profoundly disappointed.''
In a dissenting opinion, Bishop Andrew H. Fairfield of North Dakota cited the Bible in saying homosexuality is unnatural.
The United Church of Christ is the only major Christian church that allows the ordination of homosexuals.
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