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Brent Hawkes, pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church, a Toronto congregation that supports active homosexuality as biblically acceptable, told CT that conservatives should not worry. Hawkes said he supports the right of pastors to refuse to wed same-sex couples for theological reasons.

"No Catholic priest must wed an interfaith couple, and no Protestant denomination must ordain women as clergy," Hawkes said. "Religious freedom rights already protect clergy from legal challenges if they refuse to wed same-sex couples on biblical grounds."

Clemenger is not convinced. "We are deeply concerned that the effect of the redefinition will be to begin a process of marginalization for many churches and their clergy who currently participate in the civil registration of marriage," Clemenger said. "As the right of religious exemption from the court's ruling was not addressed in the court's decision, we will watch carefully the legislation that will address religious freedom concerns."

• Carol Lowes in Toronto

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Documents from the Ontario case are available online at the site for the Canadian Legal Information Institute.

Christianity Today's daily Weblog has compiled coverage and comment on Ontario and British Columbia's decisions to allow homosexual marriage:

Weblog: As Another Canadian Province Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Religious Groups Seek Supreme Court Appeal (July 9, 2003)

Weblog: Ontario Court Throws Out Marriage Definition (June 11, 2003)

Weblog: British Columbia Allows Same-Sex Marriages (May 2, 2003)

Yahoo full coverage has more links to coverage of Ontario and British Columbia's gay marriage decision. Related stories include:

Same-sex marriage makes B.C. history—The Vancouver Sun (July 9, 2003)

Second Canadian Province Allows Same-Sex Wedding—Reuters (July 8, 2003)

Religious groups fight gay marriage—The Ottawa Citizen (July 8, 2002)

Conservative groups fight same-sex marriages—The Globe and Mail (July 7, 2003)

Same-sex married couples rejoice—The Globe and Mail (June 11, 2003)

Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage—The Toronto Star (June 11, 2003)

Ontario legalizes gay marriage—BBC (June 11, 2003)

Previous Christianity Today articles on the Anglican New Westminster diocese include:

Anglican Communion Frays | Bishops worldwide chastise Canadian bishop who approved gay unions. (July 9, 2003)

Why I Walked | Sometimes loving a denomination requires you to fight. (Jan. 3, 2003)

Mortified in Vancouver | A church's actions can be in conflict with its professed faith only so long before faithful Christians wonder how much hypocrisy they can stand. (July 30, 2002)

Anglican Diocese Endorses Same-Sex Unions | Traditionalists walk out, issue global call for outside intervention. (July 12, 2002)

Vancouver Anglicans Approve Same-Sex Unions | Conservatives walk out after synod vote to bless gay couples. (June 17, 2002)

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August 2003, Vol. 47, No. 8