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Article published - Aug
25, 2007
A Presbyterian church
tribunal ruled against a North Bay minister, finding that she violated
church law by officiating at the marriages of two lesbian couples.
The Synod of the Pacific's permanent judicial commission, however, found
that the Rev. Jane Spahr "acted with conscience and conviction," and
issued a rebuke, the least serious of any potential penalty. |
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 The
Rev. Jane Spahr, a Presbyterian minister from San Rafael, was found
guilty of violating church law for officiating the marriages of two
lesbian couples.
CRISTA JEREMIASON / The Press Democrat Buy Photo ? |
The church's constitution and legal precedent "make clear that ministers
are not to conduct ceremonies represented as marriages between persons
of the same sex," the Burlingame-based tribunal said. The ruling, delivered late Thursday by certified mail to lawyers for Spahr and the church, overturned a decision made last year by a North Coast tribunal in Santa Rosa. Spahr, who is openly lesbian and an activist, said Friday she was |
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disappointed and that the ruling perpetuates the second-class treatment of gay couples by the church. "I am for equal rights and equal rites within the church," Spahr said. Spahr, a San Rafael resident, said it also is about the Presbyterian church being inclusive. "I want so much for our church to be the open, welcoming place I believe it should be," Spahr said. Like many churches, the Presbyterian Church, a mainline Protestant denomination with about 2.4 million members in the United States, has grappled with the issue of homosexuality. It doesn't prohibit ceremonies blessing same-sex unions but requires that it be made clear the ritual isn't a marriage ceremony. |
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 The
Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr, right, is greeted by supporters Barbara Jean
Douglass, left, and Connie Valois at Spahr's March 2006 trial before a
Presbyterian Church (USA) tribunal in Santa Rosa. Douglass and Valois
are one of two lesbian couples Spahr married.MARK ARONOFF/The Press Democrat 2006 |
The issue has been a difficult one, said the Rev. Robert Conover, who holds the title of stated clerk, a leadership position in the Presbytery of the Redwoods, a regional organization whose tribunal ruled in favor of Spahr last year. "This is a matter of great importance and concern, not only to the church, but to society, and people hold differing views," Conover said. "We have the responsibility to behave with genuine respect to one another, understanding we have different experiences that shape our religious faith and perspective." |
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Conover said the Presbytery has the responsibility to adhere to the church constitution, but that constitution can be changed. "Our responsibility as a Presbytery is to make sure those voices are heard," he said. Spahr said she will appeal the Synod's ruling to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, a national governing body based in Louisville, Ky., setting it up to become an issue with national ramifications. "It's being watched on the national stage already, and surely it has been an issue for the national church for years," said Spahr's attorney, Sara Taylor of San Francisco. "This will take it finally to the national level. I think it will get more scrutiny." Taylor said the earliest that it could be heard is next spring. Spahr was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1974 and recently retired as director of a Rochester, N.Y.-based ministry that advocates for lesbians and gays within the Presbyterian Church. The Presbytery of the Redwoods was acting on a complaint when it initially brought the charges against Spahr in March 2006. Its permanent judicial commission, however, found her not guilty. The Presbytery appealed the verdict to the tribunal of the Synod, which governs the western region of church, and it overturned the previous ruling on a 6-2 vote. Spahr was the first minister of her faith to be tried for officiating the weddings of gay couples. Barbara Jean Douglass of Rochester, whose same-sex marriage was officiated by Spahr, believes the church eventually will change its stance. "We believe in an all-loving God and an all-inclusive God, and we feel that our church is progressing towards equal marriage for all," Douglass said Friday. "And we feel that the congregation is ready for change and the church leadership will follow." Sherril Figuera of Guerneville, another woman whose same-sex marriage is at issue in the case, said she was disappointed in the ruling. "We are looking at it as well as being an opportunity for an even greater victory," Figuera said. "We will appeal to the higher court, and that is opening up a greater door for us."
You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or
bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com |
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