Via Integra

Fr Mark's progressive Anglo-Catholic take on European Christianity

  • This is my collection of material about the current state of the churches in Europe. I am interested in looking at how they are dealing with the pressing issues of our time: the issues of gay people and women in ministry/ leadership are particularly pressing at the moment, as is the area of declining church attendance.

    I would like to see how Europe's traditional religious institutions are coping with the new Europe currently being forged, in which public opinion and ethical attitudes are becoming inceasingly pan-European, and are evidently presenting a series of strong challenges for the churches.

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Nordic churches and the gay issue – Church of Denmark

Posted by Fr Mark on August 6, 2009

Blessings of same-sex couples in church are commonplace in the Church of Denmark.318px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Denmark_svg

 

 

From Bay Ledger News Zone, 30.07.09

 

http://www.blnz.com/news/2009/07/31/Outgames_Offers_Church_Blessing_Couples_5639.html

 

 

Outgames Offers Church Blessing For Gay Couples

World Outgames offered a church blessing for gay couples Thursday at the National Cathedral

Staff
On Top Magazine

Jul 30, 2009 20:00 EDT

 

About 18 gay and lesbian couples received a blessing from one of Copenhagen’s most prominent churches on Thursday in connection with the World Outgames, the nine-day gay sporting competition taking place in Denmark.

The mass blessing by the Church of Our Lady (Vor Fure Kirke) was heavily promoted by organizers of the games which center on gay activism and culture as much as sport.

Located in the heart of the city’s political and historic district, Our Lady is Denmark’s National Cathedral. In 2004, Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, married Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in the church. To celebrate the games, the church’s six columns were each dressed in rainbow color fabrics.

About 10 priests from the church offered the blessing to all couples, regardless of gender, nationality or religious belief.

“It is important for the priests involved to offer a blessing to all people, but it has a special significance to offer it to people who come from countries in which their governments, and perhaps most importantly their churches, do not recognize their love,” ordained street-priest Mia Rahr Jacobsen, a spokeswoman for Copenhagen Inclusive Churches, said in an Outgames release.

The gay-inclusive blessings come as Denmark celebrates the 20th anniversary of legally recognized civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.

Jacobsen said blessings were available in Danish, English, German or sign language at the couple’s request.

About 5,000 athletes are competing in more than 30 sporting events during the festival

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Copenhagen Cathedral decorated for World Outgames, 25th July – 2nd August 2009

 

Also, the following report in the Copenhagen Post (in English):

http://www.cphpost.dk/culture/culture/122-culture/46443-church-blesses-homosexuals.html

Preaching at the World Outgames Closing Mass in Copenhagen Cathedral:

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This entry was posted on August 6, 2009 at 4:19 pm and is filed under Church of Denmark (Danske Folkekirke), Lutheran Church. Tagged: , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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