“The behaviour of our brothers, the Roman Catholic Bishops in recent days, has been so unpleasant and so ill-judged that it risks harming the good influence of the whole Christian community,” Very Rev. Kelvin Holdsworth said in his sermon this morning at the cathedral.
“To behave as though bishops carry some kind of block vote to Holyrood, to threaten politicians and to decry those who want access to the dignity of marriage as unnatural ... to say these things seems to me to go too far. Such comments from the leaders of the Roman Catholic church have left me feeling embarrassed as a Christian,” he told the congregation.
“There is a risk that all of the churches will appear to be out of touch, arrogant, conceited and rude. We don’t all have to agree but we are all called to behave charitably and there has been an absence of love in this relentlessly bitter campaign and it diminishes us all.”
Speaking after the service, the Provost continued, “I want the gay couples in my congregation to be able to walk safely to church holding hands if they chose to do so. I want those same couples to be able to walk safely down the aisle and be able to be married in the eyes of God if they chose to do so too. We must not forget at this time that the majority of Roman Catholics support opening marriage to gay couples,” he pointed out
The Very Rev. Kelvin Holdsworth is an outspoken advocate for gay rights.
The Cathedral community has its own LGBT Group and advertises blessings for couples entering Civil Partnerships on its Website.
He has been Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral for six years.
St Mary’s is the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway in the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion.