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(Washington) A second North Carolina minister has announced he will not sign marriage licenses for opposite-sex couples until gay and lesbian couples are permitted to marry in the state.
The Rev. Mark Ward, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville, said that he will still perform marriage ceremonies for straight couples, but by not signing their licenses couples will have to seek out a justice of the peace and also have a civil ceremony for the marriage to be legal.
Ward is the second pastor to speak out against marriage inequality for same-sex couples. Last month, Rev. Joe Hoffman announced he would not sign marriage certificates until same-ex couples receive marriage equality in North Carolina.
Both the Unitarian Universalist and the UCC denominations support same-sex marriage.
“As ministers we are sort of defacto agents of the state in that we have the ability to legalize marriage of couples we deal with,” Ward told his congregation on Sunday.
“I will choose not to perform that function as long as the state’s laws are unjust.”
Ward said that he has been performing blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples for some time and said it is time for the state to make those relationships legal.
“I accept the responsibility and believe that it is a good thing for people in a committed relationship to come together and join in an intentional joining of their lives,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing religiously. I think it’s a good thing civilly."
©365Gay.com 2006
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