AFTER confirming the election of the first openly gay Anglican bishop, the bishops of the Episcopal Church, the American wing of the Church of England, have ducked out of commissioning a church service to bless homosexual couples.

Instead the bishops have asked the primate, Bishop Frank Griswold, to head a committee to consider how best to consider the plight of homosexuals in the Church and bring a sense of order to the many diverse forms of blessing currently being used in different dioceses.

The endorsement on Tuesday of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire emboldened those American Episcopalians who want full equality for homosexuals within the Church, including an officially recognised blessing for monogamous partnerships.

The California diocese proposed that the liturgy committee should compose a same-sex union blessing service for consideration at the Church’s next general convention in Columbus, Ohio, in 2006.

However, in an attempt to appease the many bishops who expressed anxiety about forcing the pace of progress towards blessing same-sex unions, specific instructions to the liturgy committee to draw up a common form of words were rejected in favour of commissioning Bishop Griswold to set up a committee to lead the argument.

The result may be much the same as calling for an order of service for same-sex unions. Bishop Griswold voted for the elevation of Canon Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire and, despite the impartiality of his office, is known to favour the extension of rights for homosexuals.

Many American bishops already allow religious ceremonies, such as the blessing of a new home, to be used as a means of blessing homosexual couples who are monogamous. Others allow a more direct church blessing of gay couples.

It will be up to Bishop Griswold’s committee to try to find a common approach to blessing homosexual partnerships which would meet approval by the whole Church.

The compromise came after a long debate in which some bishops openly expressed that they were homosexual.

Otis Charles, a former Utah Episcopal bishop who came out ten years ago, described how, in the absence of proper liturgy, two gay men made marriage vows and gave each other wedding rings during a Sunday service. He said that the tone of the debate was demeaning of homosexuals.

“There are gay and lesbian people in this Church who are making families,” he said. “They want to be the best Episcopalians they can be. But they would like to have the same dignity that all of you have. These conversations are demeaning and undermine every part of the Church.”

Many bishops expressed impatience that once again the Church could not make a clear decision to move towards a common liturgy for same-sex unions.

“Gay and lesbian people are in this Church because they love its liturgy and they do not feel like finding liturgy in a second-class way,” said John Cronberger, the Bishop of Newark.

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