The first openly
gay Episcopal bishop and his partner of 20 years have
been united in a private civil union.
The Rt. Rev. V.
Gene Robinson was legally joined to Mark Andrew, his
partner of 20 years, in a civil ceremony Saturday, the
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire announced.
Civil unions
became legal in New Hampshire this year.
The union was
performed five years to the day after New Hampshire
Episcopalians elected him as their bishop.
The civil and a
following religious service of thanksgiving were both
held at St. Paul's Church in Concord.
Robinson had made
public his intention to join his partner, but had kept
the date secret out of concern about security. Spokesman
Mike Barwell said the ceremony was intentionally
private.
''Initially, the
idea was to have it in a public building to make clear
it was a public civil ceremony and a private thanksgiving
ceremony,'' Barwell said Sunday.
The plan changed
out of respect for next month's worldwide Anglican
church conference in England, called the Lambeth Conference,
and out of concern for the couple's security.
Robinson had
announced in March that he would have no official role in
that conference, saying restrictions that organizers wanted
to place on his involvement had caused him
''considerable pain.''
Robinson was told
last year that he could not fully participate in the
once-a-decade gathering in England as the world Anglican
Communion has been on the brink of schism over his
2003 election.
The civil union
was performed by Ronna Wise, a longtime friend and
justice of the peace.
About 120 family
and close friends attended.
Robinson and
Andrew decided to enter the union before Robinson's trip to
ensure they have the legal protections New Hampshire's civil
union law gives gay couples. The law bestows all the
state-level rights and responsibilities of marriage,
which includes inheritance and other rights enjoyed by
married couples.
The U.S.
Episcopal Church is part of the 77 million-member
Anglican Communion, a global fellowship of churches
that trace their roots to the Church of England. But
the U.S. denomination -- with more than 2 million
members -- has faced increasing scrutiny for its
liberal-leaning stance. Most Anglicans are
traditionalists who believe Scripture bans gay
relationships.
Since Robinson's
2003 election, some conservative congregations have
sought to break away from the Episcopal Church and realign
under Anglican bishops from Africa and South America
who share their theological orthodoxy. (AP)
