Bishop revokes use of Catholic church for Episcopal consecration

Published: 2003-10-07

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CNS) -- Bishop Victor B. Galeone of St. Augustine has revoked an invitation to Episcopal leaders to use a Catholic church in Jacksonville for the Nov. 1 consecration of the new coadjutor bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. Episcopal News Service reported Oct. 3 that the offer to use St. Joseph Church for the ceremony was withdrawn after Bishop Frank T. Griswold, presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church and the planned presider at the consecration, defended same-sex unions based on "love, forgiveness, grace" in a Sept. 29 interview with The Associated Press. In the interview he said committed same-sex relationships are different from the "discrete acts of homosexuality" condemned in Scripture as acts of lust. "Homosexuality, as we understand it as an orientation, is not mentioned in the Bible," he said. "Many of my people would be deeply offended to learn that an Episcopalian bishop who holds a position that is radically opposed to what both the Catholic Church and Scripture teach about homosexuality is using one of our facilities," Bishop Galeone said in a brief statement to the media.

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