Members of
a national group of religious leaders pushing for gay
rights say they're pleased that some faiths have become more
accepting of gays but are concerned that the Vatican
is expected to bar gays from seminaries. The
National Religious Leadership Roundtable, a project of
the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, ended a two-day
strategy meeting in Cleveland on Tuesday with mixed
emotions.
The group
condemned last week's news reports that an upcoming Vatican
proposal would bar gay men from Roman Catholic seminaries
even if they are celibate. But the group praised a
decision of the Episcopal Church to stand behind its
election of a gay bishop and the Cleveland-based United
Church of Christ's vote to endorse same-sex marriages.
"Collectively, we have to feel good about progress
that is being made," said Debra Weill, executive
director of Dignity USA, an independent Catholic gay
rights group. "Some of the churches have taken amazing
steps."
The group
supported the Episcopal Church's standing by its decision
even as the church faces criticism from its own
members for approving the election of an openly gay
bishop in New Hampshire. There were similar accolades
for the United Church of Christ, which earlier this year
became the largest Christian denomination to back
same-sex marriages.
Many gays and
lesbians are hopeful and returning to religions, the
activists said. "It's almost like a great awakening, I would
say," said the Reverend Jay Johnson of the Center for
Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at
the Pacific School of Religion. Imam Daayiee Abdullah,
a gay imam from Washington, D.C., said a group for gay
and lesbian Muslims called Al-Fatiha has grown to eight
chapters in the United States. He said the group has
helped get a conversation going between gay and
straight Islamic scholars.
But the Reverend
James Tasker of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Bay
Village, Ohio, said there will always be religious
people who will disagree with homosexuality because of
their strict interpretation of the Scripture. His is
one of several churches considering separating from the
denomination because of the ordination of the gay bishop.
"As far as the Episcopal Church goes, as far as the
Anglican Communion goes, there will be a split,"
Tasker said. "I would predict eventually there will be
a split in every denomination." (AP)