Gay candidate withdraws from Kirk ministry
(James Glossop/The Times)
The Church of Scotland was saved from fresh controversy over gay clergy after a homosexual man seeking to become a minister withdrew his candidacy.
Dmitri Ross, who is in a civil partnership, said that he did not wish to become a “source of division” in the Kirk. He also urged his opponents to withdraw their protests against him “in the interests of peace and unity in the Church”.
Mr Ross, 42, was selected to train by the Hamilton Presbytery, the third largest in Scotland, two weeks ago. His nomination came despite a ban on the ordination or induction of gay ministers. The moratorium was imposed after the divisive appointment of Scott Rennie, who lives openly with his male partner, in Aberdeen. The ban is in place until 2011 to allow a special commission to examine the issue. A separate ban on discussing the issue is also in place.
Mr Ross, a former lawyer, said in his statement that he began his attempt to become a minister more than a year ago after he received what he believes was “a call from God”. However, he said he felt that he must balance his sense of duty with his “great and genuine love for the Church as a whole”.
He added: “I do not wish, and have never sought, to be a cause of division within the Church I love so dearly. Therefore, after much heartfelt deliberation, and after much prayerful consideration, I have decided to withdraw as a full-time candidate in training for ministry of word and sacrament in the Church of Scotland.”
Mr Ross said that his thoughts were with the Church “as it wrestles with the difficult and divisive issue of human sexuality within the ministry”.
Almost 40 parishes have joined the evangelical group the Fellowship of the Confessing Churches, saying that they will not accept the ordination of homosexuals.
The Presbytery of Hamilton could not be reached for comment.
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