Anglican Church Says No to Inaugural Gay Wedding at St Matthew’s in the City

18 July – ZM’s Fabulous Gay Wedding, scheduled to take place in St Matthew’s in the City on 19 August, (the day the bill becomes law), is now looking for a different church to hold the inaugural gay wedding in New Zealand.

ZM’s Content Director, Christian Boston says the station received an email from St Matthew’s Vicar, Glynn Cardy, late yesterday saying it was no longer possible.
“St Matthew’s have been incredibly supportive of our competition but it appears that the higher powers in the church have been looking at the Anglican Church policy and have concluded that they can’t marry a gay couple.”

ZM’s celebrity breakfast host, Polly Gillespie assures finalists and the public, that there will be a church wedding.

“This is a momentous occasion for New Zealand. If we went with a civil service and then a blessing in St Matthew’s as the Anglican Church has suggested, we’d effectively be saying everyone’s equal but some are more equal than others. That’s not good enough for us at ZM. We want our royal themed wedding to be a proper wedding, which means a marriage ceremony, not a blessing or anything less than that. ZM will deliver on this. We are left with no alternative but to move the ceremony elsewhere, so we’re on the hunt for another church!”

Gillespie says interest in ZM’s Fabulous Gay Wedding has attracted international attention.
“World media contacted us when we announced it on air and I have no doubt they will be following this most recent development closely. I feel for Vicar Glynn and St Matthew’s in the City, as they have been hugely supportive, I love their courage and approach to life as we know it in 2013.”

Email issued by St Matthew’s in the City
We are sorry that we were unable to negotiate a way to hold the first same gender wedding ceremony here at St Matthew’s. Anglican policy allows us to only have a religious ceremony with a same gender couple after they have been married in a civil ceremony elsewhere. At St Matthew’s we think that policy is discriminatory and we are committed to working to change it; although realistically such change may take many years.
We wish the couple well, and wish ZM all the best as you support them.
Regards Glynn Cardy

ENDS

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