Former
Lesbian Minister Wins Her Appeal
Reuters
|
A
lesbian Methodist minister defrocked last year after admitting
to living with a woman won her appeal against the church's decision
because it had not defined "practicing homosexual," the United
Methodist Church said.
She
had been stripped her of her credentials as a minister at the
First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Philadelphia. She
was allowed to have a lesser role in the church but could not
perform ceremonies such as baptisms and weddings. "An appeals
committee has reversed a clergy court verdict in the case of
Irene Elizabeth Stroud," the statement said.
In
a 14-page decision, the committee reversed both the conviction
and the penalty on the technical grounds that the church has
not properly defined the term "practicing homosexual". The committee
also held that the church law under which the charges were brought
was a new standard that had not been formally ratified by the
church authorities and so could not be used to convict Stroud.
Stroud,
34, was originally found to have violated the church's Book
of Discipline, which forbids the ordination and appointment
of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals." Stroud told the hearing
she was in a committed relationship with another woman and had
decided to be open about her sexuality because it was the honest,
Christian thing to do.
Her
stance was backed by many members of her Philadelphia congregation.
The committee said it recognized that "practicing homosexual"
may involve engaging in "genital sexual activity" but that the
term had not been clearly defined by the church and so it could
not be used against Stroud.
Stroud
said in an interview on Friday she was relieved at the decision
but not elated because she didn't know whether the church would
actually appeal to the Judicial Council. "I'm encouraged and
I'm hopeful, and I'm grateful that the committee took seriously
the case that was brought," she said.
The
Holistic Wisdom Corporation