2 prêtres gays anglicans ont eu leur union bénie à l'Eglise
The Reverend Martin Dudley who performed the service said he had no regrets
Traditionalists in the Anglican Church have been angered after two gay clergymen exchanged vows in a version of a marriage ceremony.
The service, at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London last month, used formal rites.
The Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend Dr David Lord were already civil partners.
Critics say the ceremony flouted guidelines, but the vicar who conducted it said church rules were not broken.
The couple are said to have exchanged vows and rings in front of hundreds of guests in the event thought to be the first of its kind in the Anglican Church.
'Erosion of respect'
Anglicans worldwide are split over homosexuality and conservatives have condemned the service - which had no legal status - as blasphemous.
Critics say the wording of a traditional wedding expressly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.
The service was conducted by the Reverend Martin Dudley, who told the BBC he had not broken any instructions issued by the bishops.
"It wasn't a gay church wedding, it was the blessing of two people who have contracted a civil partnership.
Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return to traditional teaching
Most Reverend Henry Orombi
"They wanted more than I was able to give - they wanted something more like a wedding. I was not willing to do that because I believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.
"Therefore we had to negotiate the form of the service, the words that were used, so that I could say them with integrity, but they also found that they expressed their love for each other and their commitment to each other.
"But what we actually did was to celebrate in the context of holy communion, of a solemn celebration of the eucharist, their love for each other."
But the Reverend David Banting said Mr Dudley and the couple were in rebellion against the teachings of the Church, and the guidelines and authority of the bishops and archbishops.
"There is bound to be consequences. It is very difficult to exercise discipline in the Church of England because things have gone such a long way down this sort of track.
"But yes, I would expect there to be consequences."
The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi, told the Sunday Telegraph: "The leadership tried to deny that this would happen, but now the truth is out.
"Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return to traditional teaching."
But liberals in the Church say the Bible should be reinterpreted in line with contemporary experience.
Under Church of England guidance, gay priests can enter civil partnerships as long as they remain celibate.
Guidance also says that gay couples who ask a priest to bless their partnership must be treated "pastorally and sensitively".
Lord Devon a refusé à un couple gay de célébrer leur Civil Partneship dans son château. Le conté du Devon lui a alors mis fin à sa license lui permettant de célébrer tout marriage, hétérosexuel ou pas. On ne "touche" pas aux homos ici, que l'on soit LORD ou paysan!
Extrait de l'article :
A Devon castle is to lose its licence to host weddings after its owner refused to allow two gay men to hold a civil partnership ceremony there.
Lord Devon reportedly said the request for the marriage at Powderham Castle clashed with his religious beliefs.
Devon County Council investigated and has said the licence for hosting civil ceremonies will be revoked.
The move came after a gay couple from London were told the castle would not host their civil ceremony.
Bernard Horrocks, 40, and his partner Glenn Sontag, 36, both from London, wanted to marry at Powderham.
They cannot cherry pick in this way
Bernard Horrocks
Mr Horrocks said: "They came back to us refusing to have our civil partnership ceremony.
"They cannot cherry pick in this way.
"If you are to enjoy the benefits of a licence you have to welcome everyone."
The couple contacted licensing authority Devon County Council which said the refusal to accept civil partnership ceremonies amounted to discrimination.
County solicitor Roger Gash said that providers of civil ceremonies could not legally treat people unfairly according to their sexual orientation.
He said in an e-mail to Lord Devon: "It seems to me that your refusal to accept civil partnership ceremonies amounts to such discrimination and that this leaves the county council with no option but to revoke the licence for the castle."
The castle will be unable to host civil ceremonies from 1 January next year.
No-one was available for comment from Powderham Castle.
The earl reportedly decided before getting the county council's e-mail to ban all civil marriage ceremonies, whether or not they involved gay couples.
He told a national newspaper: "In order to stay on the right side of the law we have decided to do away with hosting civil ceremonies altogether at Powderham Castle."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/devon/7427585.stm
J'ai ramené cette coquille St Jacques de ma dernière plongée et l'ai mise dans un sceau d'eau en attendant. Plus je la regarde et plus je la trouve différente. Elle resemble plus à une créature vivante et moins à un futur repas. Je crois que si je veux survivre en restant carnivore, il faudra que je m'y attache moins à ces créatures! Bref, celle-ci a de la chance: je la "relâcherai" demain dans la mer... En attendant, vive le micro-onde LOL
Bon alors les parisiens, il parait que vous êtes "rude"
L'embassade du Japon à Paris a meme créé une Hot Line pour aider les touristes japonais "suffering French culture shock"
PARIS, France (AP) -- "Their city is the world's No. 1 tourist destination, yet Parisians sometimes seem downright grumpy about it.
A band performs as part of the promotion of Paris Tourist Day on the Trocadero Plaza.
On Monday, city officials set out to change that, urging cab drivers to smile and telling waiters to try out their English.
Tourists, too, were given tips like "try out French products" instead of heading to the first Starbucks in search of friendly service.
As Mayor Bertrand Delanoe launched the first Paris Tourist Day on the sprawling Trocadero Plaza across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the response from passers-by was predictable: Parisians said their rude reputation was exaggerated. Visitors disagreed.
Paul Roll, director of the Paris Tourism Office, conceded that the French capital has a "rather unfriendly" image but defended his compatriots.
"French citizens are shy when they need to speak in a foreign language. They have a very strong accent, which makes it difficult to understand," he said.
He said the campaign was aimed at making Parisians understand how important tourists are to their city's economic growth, and to help them improve their habits when dealing with foreigners. A full 12 percent of jobs in Paris are directly connected to tourism, Roll said.
"To be frank," said Brazilian tourist Joana D'Arc de Almeida, "I think Paris needs to learn a lot about how to deal with tourists, because that's what brings money to the city. It looks like they have so much money from it already that they don't care about people anymore."
She said she's determined, regardless, to adapt to the "French way of doing things."
Tour guide Nicole Rimbaud insisted her fellow Parisians' "habits are really changing."
"If (visitors) make an effort and try to explain to Parisians that they don't speak French instead of speaking English right away, (French) people can be very warm, actually," she said.
Cab driver Mustafah Hammoum welcomed the friendliness campaign -- but said in general his colleagues are "quite nice."
"We do our best," he said.
"What could we improve? Well, traffic, that's for sure. And English skills, why not. There are lots of cab drivers who don't speak that language. It's a real problem when people can't understand each other," he said.
Many Parisian cab drivers aren't native French speakers, either, adding to the challenges for passengers.
Bystanders at the Trocadero event were offered Parisian water, orange juice and brochures with a "Charter for the Parisian and Visitor."
"I will take the time to give information to visitors. I will make use of my foreign language skills to reply to them in their language," reads one item of advice to Parisians.
To tourists, the brochure says, "I will experience the Parisian lifestyle" and "I will take advantage of my stay to try French products."
It's not the first time the city has sought to clean up its manners, nor the last. While Monday's event was a one-day affair, city officials are also offering long-term friendliness projects.
"Ambassadors of Welcome" kiosks went up for the summer in five strategic tourist sites, like near Notre Dame Cathedral and Place de la Bastille.
In any case, Roll notes, despite tourists' fears of surly Parisian service, when they get here they usually change their minds. He said 97 percent of those who visit say they want to come back.
Paris saw 15.3 million visitors in 2006 from foreign countries and elsewhere in France, according to the Paris region tourist bureau"
L'amour au télephone
L'amour a vélo
L'amour sur un banc
