Charges were
dismissed Wednesday that had been brought against a
Presbyterian minister accused of breaking church law by
performing a marriage ceremony for two women after
church officials determined the charges were filed too
late.
The Permanent
Judicial Commission of the Pittsburgh Presbytery voted 8-0
to dismiss the charges against Janet Edwards because they
were filed several days after a filing deadline.
Edwards, a parish associate at the Community of
Reconciliation Church in Pittsburgh, had been accused of
violating the church's position on marriage by presiding at
the June 2005 wedding.
The constitution
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reserves marriage
for a man and a woman, although ministers may bless other
types of ''holy unions.''
''This dismissal
constitutes neither a vindication of the accused nor any
finding with respect to the subject,'' according to a
statement from the commission read by Kears Pollock,
the group's vice moderator.
The Presbyterian
Church, like other mainline denominations, has been
struggling to stay unified despite differences over whether
the traditional biblical view condemning gay
relationships should stand.
Presbyterians who
support same-gender unions say the Bible's social
justice teachings on inclusiveness should prevail over what
they see as an outdated view of homosexuality.
Edwards presided
over the marriage of Nancy McConn, a retired computer
software developer from Dallas, W.Va., and Brenda Cole, a
clinical psychologist. (AP)