Presbyterian Church USA votes for marriage equality

Presbyterian Church USA votes for marriage equality

                                                                                          The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) approved an amendment to change the definition of marriage as a relationship between 'two people' 20 June 2014 | By James Withers TexasEscapes.com The Presbyterian Church USA voted to open marriage to LGBTI couples. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA approved today, 19 June, an amendment change to the church's constitution describing marriage as a relationship between 'two people.' The vote, according to the Human Rights Campaign, was 71% to 29% (429 to 175). The proposal will become church law if approved by a majority of the church's 172 presbyteries (districts). The Assembly also passed a measure allowing clergy to perform same-sex ceremonies in states where marriage equality is legal. That was a 61%-39% vote (371-238). According to GLAAD, approximately half of all PCUSA clergy 'serve in one of the 19 states or in Washington DC in which marriage equality is acknowledged by the government.' 'This is a giant step forward for the PCUSA Church and for people of faith everywhere,' Sharon Groves, director of HRC's Religion and Faith Program, said in a statement. 'Presbyterian LGBT couples are now one step closer to being able to get married in the church of their choice.' 'Perhaps even more significantly, young people and their families can go into a Presbyterian church and know that their denomination has not turned a blind eye to them but has instead taken a giant step toward becoming a more loving and more welcoming place for all people to worship,' Groves continued. The PCUSA General Assembly meets biennially and its commissioners are elected by each of the 172 presbyteries. -

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