Updated
The Rev. Peter Cowell and the Rev. Dr. David Lord had formed a civil partnership and that union was blessed says the officiant, the Rev. Martin Dudley about the service at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London last month.
Yet the formal rites used were based substantially on the Form of Solemnization of Matrimony in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The ceremony included marriage vows, exchanging rings, and the Eucharist. The language was slightly edited for use by two men. See the service here at The Lead.
The Rev. Martin Dudley was interviewed on the BBC’s Sunday. See the BBC’s written report here, and audio of the program here (23 minutes in; link to the individual item will added when available; ed.). Dudley is also quoted by the Press Association.
The BBC’s written report says,
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”.
Update
From a joint statement found here from the Bishop of Bishop of Waikato and the Waikato priest concerned, the Rev. Dr. David Lord: “The New Zealand priest involved has felt it appropriate to lay down his clergy license, in the light of Anglican Communion processes and discussions in the area of same gender Blessings and ordination.”
And from AP: “Church of England spokesman Lou Henderson said the archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Communion’s spiritual leader, was unlikely to make any public comment about the controversy.”
Thanks to Thinking Anglicans for rounding up many of these links.