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http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/01/19/903105-sun.html
A gay old time on base
New military policy allows chaplains to marry same-sex couples
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, Parliamentary Bureau
GAY AND lesbian army couples can now get married on military bases. The Canadian Forces has quietly drafted a policy calling for military chaplains to formally bless same-sex weddings. Guidelines -- considered "interim" until the federal government passes a law redefining marriage -- outline the process for pre-nuptial counselling and using the base chapel for same-sex ceremonies.
Col. Stan Johnstone, a military chaplain who helped draft the policy, said the guidelines reflect the primary role of ministering to all CF members and their families.
NO EXPECTATIONS
Johnstone said chaplains vary on personal convictions and theology, but don't discriminate against anyone in need of counsel.
The guidelines are "essentially a statement of the way the law is going. We don't put any expectations on people -- we expect them to function as we always do, according to the tenets of their church, their own conscience and the laws of the province," he said.
"No one is being put under any constraint to do something they wouldn't normally do."
The roughly 150 military chaplains who work on bases across the country aren't required to perform same-sex marriages if it's against their religious beliefs, but they have the responsibility to find a colleague to conduct the ceremony.
Johnstone said the chaplaincy is taking a "leading edge" on the issue as there is not yet a known request for a gay wedding on a base.
While documents obtained by the Sun under Access to Information refer to the need to "avoid embarrassment" to the Canadian Forces or the chaplain branch, Johnstone said the reference likely speaks to the necessity to keep superiors "in the know" on policy development.
'SENSITIVE' STAND
NDP MP Libby Davies applauded the military chaplains' progressive, "sensitive" stand.
"This shows how while the Liberal government has dragged its feet for so long, every institution in the country is dealing with this. Gay marriage is a reality," she said.
But Derek Rogusky, VP of family policy for Focus on the Family, raised concerns about the ability to protect religious freedom and worried how the policy might create stress on bases.
"You already see the division across the country, and now you're going to bring that right on the base of a military, where cohesion and unity is a key aspect of their success," he said.
kathleen.harris@tor.sunpub.com
A gay old time on base
New military policy allows chaplains to marry same-sex couples
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, Parliamentary Bureau
GAY AND lesbian army couples can now get married on military bases. The Canadian Forces has quietly drafted a policy calling for military chaplains to formally bless same-sex weddings. Guidelines -- considered "interim" until the federal government passes a law redefining marriage -- outline the process for pre-nuptial counselling and using the base chapel for same-sex ceremonies.
Col. Stan Johnstone, a military chaplain who helped draft the policy, said the guidelines reflect the primary role of ministering to all CF members and their families.
NO EXPECTATIONS
Johnstone said chaplains vary on personal convictions and theology, but don't discriminate against anyone in need of counsel.
The guidelines are "essentially a statement of the way the law is going. We don't put any expectations on people -- we expect them to function as we always do, according to the tenets of their church, their own conscience and the laws of the province," he said.
"No one is being put under any constraint to do something they wouldn't normally do."
The roughly 150 military chaplains who work on bases across the country aren't required to perform same-sex marriages if it's against their religious beliefs, but they have the responsibility to find a colleague to conduct the ceremony.
Johnstone said the chaplaincy is taking a "leading edge" on the issue as there is not yet a known request for a gay wedding on a base.
While documents obtained by the Sun under Access to Information refer to the need to "avoid embarrassment" to the Canadian Forces or the chaplain branch, Johnstone said the reference likely speaks to the necessity to keep superiors "in the know" on policy development.
'SENSITIVE' STAND
NDP MP Libby Davies applauded the military chaplains' progressive, "sensitive" stand.
"This shows how while the Liberal government has dragged its feet for so long, every institution in the country is dealing with this. Gay marriage is a reality," she said.
But Derek Rogusky, VP of family policy for Focus on the Family, raised concerns about the ability to protect religious freedom and worried how the policy might create stress on bases.
"You already see the division across the country, and now you're going to bring that right on the base of a military, where cohesion and unity is a key aspect of their success," he said.
kathleen.harris@tor.sunpub.com