Methodist pastor defrocked for holding gay marriage wins church appeal
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/24/methodist-pastor-defrock-same-sex-marriage-appeal
Pennsylvania pastor Frank Schaefer, convicted after officiating the same-sex wedding of his gay son, has appeal approved
Associated Press in Baltimore
theguardian.com, Tuesday 24 June 2014 14.41 EDT
Frank Schaefer argued that the decision to defrock him was wrong because it was based on the assumption he would break church law in the future. Photograph: Josh Reynolds/AP
A United Methodist Church appeals panel has overturned the church's decision to defrock a pastor who presided over his son's same-sex wedding ceremony and said he would perform other gay marriages if asked. He can return to the pul
The nine-person panel ordered the church to restore Frank Schaefer's pastoral credentials, saying the jury that convicted him of breaking church law erred when fashioning his punishment.
"I've devoted my life to this church, to serving this church, and to be restored and to be able to call myself a reverend again and to speak with this voice means so much to me," an exultant Schaefer told the Associated Press, adding he intends to work for gay rights "with an even stronger voice from within the United Methodist Church".
The church suspended Frank Schaefer, of Pennsylvania, last year for officiating his son's 2007 wedding. The church then defrocked Schaefer because he wouldn't promise never to preside over another gay ceremony.
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