Nigel Rowley (center above) married his Danish betrothed, Mikel Lindbæk, in the Lutheran cathedral church of Copenhagen, the Church of Our Lady. The Bishop of Copenhagen, the Rt Revd Peter Skov-Jakobsen, solemnized the marriage. Nigel is a member of the Church of England parish in Copenhagen, St Alban’s Church. He is also a member of both the deanery & diocesan synods. However, Nigel wished to marry Mikel, whom he met 6 and a half years ago, in Church. He wasn’t interested in a blessing of a civil marriage, he wanted to marry in Church. The Church of England does not allow same-sex marriages, so Nigel chose to marry in the Church of Denmark, which has been solemnizing same-sex marriages since 2012.
Nigel reports that he was a bit nervous that the large cathedral was perhaps not the space for what he believed would be a small wedding party. When he entered the cathedral, to his surprise it was quite full. Many folks in attendance were from his home parish of St Alban’s. The music was provided by the joint choirs of Our Lady & St Albans.
Nigel Rowley believes that it is the time for the Church of England to allow same-sex marriages. “We should be celebrating love, and that was Christ’s message. I am quite sure that Christ would approve. Otherwise, I would not be getting married in the cathedral in Denmark,” he stated.
Photo credit – Anita Wales. Facts for the story and the photo were gathered from the Church Times.