Religion

Gay Episcopal priest takes over diocese

CONCORD, N.H. - With three mighty thumps on the church door Sunday, V. Gene Robinson knocked and was welcomed into St. Paul's sanctuary, where he officially became the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop.

Sunday's investiture ceremony does not carry the same weight as Robinson's consecration, which rocked the Episcopal Church in November. But it gave a capacity crowd of more than 600 the chance to welcome the new leader of the Diocese of New Hampshire with a standing ovation.

Bishop Douglas Theuner, who officially retired Sunday, handed Robinson the ceremonial staff that transferred the diocese into his hands.

Robinson is the first openly gay man to be elected as a bishop in the national Episcopal church, as well as the worldwide Anglican Communion of which it is a part. His consecration drew protesters and triggered angry responses from many corners of the world.

"Let's be clear," Robinson told CBS's 60 Minutes in an interview that aired Sunday night. "We've always had gay bishops. All I'm doing is being honest about it."

World and national headlines

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright