|
 A jury of his pastoral peers convicted the Rev. Frank Schaefer on
Monday of breaking his vows by officiating at the 2007 ceremony in
Massachusetts after a trial that has rekindled debate over the
denomination's policies on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The jury reconvenes Tuesday morning for the penalty phase, at which
both sides will present witnesses. Schaefer could face punishment
ranging from a reprimand to a suspension to losing his minister's
credentials.
"Obviously I'm very saddened. What we're hoping for tomorrow is a
light sentence," Schaefer's son, Tim Schaefer, 29, whose wedding led
to the charges, said after the verdict Monday night.
Frank Schaefer didn't deny that he performed his son's wedding, but
said he did it out of love, not a desire to flout church teaching on
homosexuality.
"I did not want to make this a protest about the doctrine of the
church. I wasn't trying to be an advocate," Schaefer testified at
his trial, held at a Methodist retreat in southeastern Pennsylvania.
"I just wanted this to be a beautiful family affair, and it was
that."
But the Rev. Christopher Fisher, who acted as the church's
prosecutor, told jurors that Schaefer's disobedience couldn't go
unpunished.
"Ministers are not free to reinterpret (their) vows according to
personal preference," said Fisher, whose closing argument condemning
homosexuality prompted Schaefer's supporters to stand in silent
protest in the gymnasium that served as a temporary courtroom. "As
a father, I understand the desire to show love and support to my
children," Fisher said. "It's not always true we can do for our
children everything they want us to do. True love draws boundaries."
[to top of second column] |
The nation's largest mainline Protestant denomination accepts gay
and lesbian members, but it rejects the practice of homosexuality as
"incompatible with Christian teaching" and forbids pastors from
marrying same-sex partners.
Testifying in his defense Monday, Schaefer said he might have lost
what he called his "ritual purity" by disobeying the Methodist Book
of Discipline, but he said he felt he was obeying God's command to
minister to everyone.
The church's sole witness was Jon Boger, a member of Schaefer's
congregation in Lebanon, who filed a complaint against the pastor
less than a month before the six-year statute of limitations was set
to expire.
He said he felt betrayed when he learned earlier this year that
Schaefer, who had baptized his children and buried his grandparents,
had presided over a gay wedding.
"When pastors take the law of the church in their own hand ... it
undermines their own credibility as a leader and also undermines the
integrity of the church as a whole," Boger said.
[Associated
Press; MICHAEL RUBINKAM]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
