Due to her sexual orientation, the Church of England forbade Desmond Tutu’s daughter from officiating at funerals.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, Mpho Tutu van Furth, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Washington, has been requesting authorization to officiate the burial of her deceased father, Martin Keyon, in Shropshire.
Mpho’s request to preside over the funeral in memory of her late grandfather was rejected by the Church of England due to her sexual orientation.
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Ms. Tutu van Furth discussed the development with BBC News, saying it was a “tough circumstance” for her and that it was particularly “churlish and cruel.”
Due to its official teaching that marriage should only be between one man and one woman, the Church of England does not allows clergy to participate in same-sex relationships.
However, the sister Anglican church in the US, The Episcopal Church, allows the Diocese of Hereford, and other priests to enter into gay marriages.
“Advice they give in line with the House of Bishops current guidance on same-sex marriage” one statement from the Diocese of Hereford said.
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The former Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev Paul Bayes, who is a campaigner in the church to change its position on sexuality, said, “things are difficult and not good enough
“We urgently need to make space for the conscience, space for pastoral care and space for love.”
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