Monday, March 24, 2008

Lesbian priest says she wants license to minister in ND

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2008/03/21/lesbian_priest_says_she_wants_license_to_minister_in_nd/

[The Boston Globe] 24 Mar 2008--A lesbian priest says she wants to start a dialogue with church leaders after the Episcopal bishop of North Dakota refused her request for a license to minister in the state.

The Rev. Gayle Baldwin, 62, an associate professor of religion at the University of North Dakota, was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1980. She came out as a lesbian a decade ago in Wyoming, where she has a license to preach and administer the sacraments. She came to UND in 2000.
Baldwin went public this week with a letter Episcopal leaders explaining her request to be licensed in North Dakota.

The Episcopal Church' consecration in 2003 of the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, led to division in the church and several dozen conservative U.S. parishes have split from the national denomination.

"I have been clear from the beginning what my expectations are," said Bishop Michael Smith, head of the 3,000 Episcopalians in North Dakota. "That is fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those not called to marriage."

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