Ottawa Anglicans
Vote to Approve Same-Sex Marriages

Delegates in the Ottawa diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada voted last Saturday to approve the blessing of same-sex marriages, making it the first diocese to formally support such blessings since the national church prohibited them in June, according to Canada's National Post.

The 177-97 vote showed clear disagreement with the mother church, which decided in June that it would not allow individual dioceses to decide for themselves whether to offer the blessing. The diocese of Montreal is expected to vote on the issue next week.

But Ottawa bishop John Chapman will ultimately decide whether the diocese will approve same-sex marriages. He said he welcomed the diocese's vote but that he hopes to speak with other bishops, both inside and outside Canada, before finalizing his decision.

"It's not helpful to walk alone," he told the National Post. "We're not afraid to walk alone, but we don't want to walk alone."

After the Episcopal Church, the American arm of the Anglican Communion, ordained an openly gay bishop in 2003, bishops in Africa warned they would split from the church. Ever since, Episcopal Church leaders and the de facto worldwide Anglican leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, have been trying to negotiate a compromise that will satisfy Anglicans around the globe and hold the communion together. (The Advocate)