Bishop Facing Charges Backed
More than 270 United Methodists in three states have shown support for their bishop, charged with disobeying church law by allowing a Denver minister to officiate at same-sex unions.
A group of ministers and lay people rallied around the bishop, Mary Ann Swenson, by approving a statement declaring that she had “faithfully executed the responsibilities of her office and upheld the laws with Christian grace.”
The charges against Swenson center on the Rev. Toni Cook, pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Denver, who has performed several ceremonies for same-sex couples. Other Methodist ministers in the area have performed such unions, but Cook is widely known for her stance.
The church’s highest court, the Judicial Council, has ruled that performing a same-sex union could be a chargeable offense, and ministers have been charged for performing the ceremonies.
Swenson is the first bishop charged.a.
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