The Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, the Right Rev Richard Henderson, has ordered that there be no further "avowing friendship" services in the united dioceses.
It follows the conduct of such a service for a lesbian couple in a side chapel at St Nicholas's collegiate church, Galway, by its rector, the Rev Patrick Towers, last month.
In a statement to his select vestry in Galway and released yesterday, the Rev Towers said: "I wish to make it perfectly clear to all members of the select vestry and the people of this parish that in no way was the avowing friendship service, which was taken in the side chapel of St Nicholas, intended to counter or be contrary to the teachings of the Church of Ireland and certainly not to be seen in any way as violating the resolutions of the Lambeth Conference, to which I adhere."
He regretted "very much the interpretation which has been put upon a short service which was to answer a particular pastoral need". The service was not, however, authorised by the bishop. The bishop has now ordered that such services are not to be used.
"I am thus ordering that such services shall not take place again."
Rev Towers asked that vestry members "in your conversations to make it very clear that such services will not be repeated in St Nicholas, that the rector admits the service was unauthorised and he and the parish adhere to the discipline and order of Bishop Richard".
"At other times and in other places and amongst other people, the conversation as how best to deal with the issues that this particular event has raised will no doubt be continued," he said.
Responding to the statement, Bishop Henderson said: "As Bishop of Tuam, I wish to affirm the courageous pastoral ministry of Very Rev Patrick Towers and his consistent determination to welcome and make at home in the life of the parish of Galway those of every persuasion, ethnic origin and sexual orientation.
"I accept the sincerity of his statement and as far as I am concerned the incident is now closed."
In The Irish Times last Saturday, Rev Towers explained that what he had conducted with the lesbian couple was not a marriage but a service at which they had affirmed their friendship "gently and publicly". He had met the couple several times beforehand to discuss what was to take place, he said.
In Galway there was a "very fast-moving and changing social dynamic". It was a city where, as in so many other places today, family-based society was on the wane, while friendship was on the increase.This had to be addressed as part of church ministry in the city, he said. But he would not officiate at a gay marriage, he said.
