And religious leaders wonder why people don't take them seriously ...

The Church of England allows its clergy to marry, and in March same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales. However, despite the progress made by the nation, the official state denomination remains opposed to marriage equality. In February, the House of Bishops formally prohibited its clergy from entering into same-sex marriages.

Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that the Church of England embracing same-sex marriage would endanger the lives of African Christians. In England, the church continues to support “sex only within marriage and marriage only between a man and a woman,” but resists that notion that it condemns homosexuals more than adulterous heterosexuals. In Africa, however, Anglican churches in Uganda and Nigeria have supported laws to criminalise the mere expression of support for same-sex marriage.

The action against Jeremy Pemberton (photo, top left) for marrying his partner, Laurence Cunnington (image, bottom left) highlights the confused and stagnant approach to homosexuality, which Andrew Brown of the Guardian describes as having been debated “without progress for 30 years.” Gay members of the clergy are allowed enter into civil partnerships because, according to the church, they don’t necessarily imply sexual relations. [Damien's note: This is denial (in the psychological sense) of the highest order and, at best, pretense.]

On Saturday, a second priest, the Reverend Andrew Cain, married his partner, Stephen Foreshew. It is unclear what action will be taken, but these public and much reported on marriages will surely fuel debates within the church regarding its stance on marriage equality -- one that remains so very much out of touch with the rest of England and Wales.