Jeremy Pemberton (priest)

Last updated

The Reverend

Jeremy Pemberton
IMG20220704093634 Bokeh.jpg
Born1956 (age 67–68)
Alma mater
Known forFirst male Church of England priest to marry another man
Spouse
Laurence
​
(m. 2014)​
ReligionChristianity (Anglicanism)
Church Church of England

Jeremy Charles Baring Pemberton (born 1956 [1] ) is a British Anglican priest who was the first priest in the Church of England to enter into a same-sex marriage when he married another man in 2014. As same-sex marriages are not accepted by the church (its canon law defines marriage as between one man and one woman), he was denied a job as a chaplain for the National Health Service by John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York. Before then, he had been an Anglican priest for 33 years.

Contents

He sued the church on employment discrimination grounds. However, a tribunal upheld his dismissal, saying that being a Church of England chaplain meant that Pemberton had to uphold that church's views on marriage. The tribunal also said that the Equality Act in England and Wales allowed for religious exemptions to laws that protect people from being fired because of their sexual orientation. The dismissal was upheld on appeal by the Court of Appeal in 2018.

Early life and ordained ministry

Pemberton was born in 1956. He studied at Merton College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1977: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree. From 1978 to 1981, he trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, an evangelical Anglican theological college. He also studied theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating with a further BA in 1980. [1]

Pemberton was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1981 and as a priest in 1982, [1] when he was 25. From 1981 to 1984, he served his curacy at All Saints' Church, Stranton in the Diocese of Durham. He then served a second curacy at St George's Church, Leeds, in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds. From 1987 to 1991, he was a Church Mission Society mission partner. [1]

By 2005, after teaching theology in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he became an honorary canon of Boga-Zaire in the DRC. He was also an honorary canon of Ely in Cambridgeshire while he worked as team rector of 13 parishes in West Cambridgeshire. [2]

Marriage

Background

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics in the act, including sexual orientation. However, the Church of England and other religious groups that do not agree with same-sex relationships are allowed to not employ gay people if they are sexually active or in civil partnerships. [2] Same-sex marriage in England and Wales began in late March 2014, when the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 came into force. [3]

In April 2014, Pemberton married his partner Laurence Cunnington; [4] Pemberton met Cunnington on a support website for gay fathers in 2008 and both had been previously married to women for several decades; Pemberton and his former wife had five children. [2] [5] The marriage occurred despite an official ban on same-sex marriages from the Church of England's House of Bishops in February 2014, [6] who instead allowed civil partnerships between members of the same gender, within a celibate relationship. [7] The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 meant that religious institutions which do not agree with same-sex marriage—such as the Church of England, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman in its canon law—did not have to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. These exemptions came following extensive lobbying by conservative Anglicans. [2]

In 2014, Pemberton lived in Southwell and preached in Southwell Minster. He had a job as a hospital chaplain in the Diocese of Lincoln for an NHS trust (an organisational trust within the National Health Service (NHS)) in Lincolnshire but sought work closer to home at King's Mill Hospital. Pemberton spoke to the Bishop of Lincoln, Christopher Lowson, prior to his move. Lowson had no initial objections but later issued an official written rebuke to the couple. [2]

The Archbishop of York (whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction includes Southwell), John Sentamu, an opponent of same-sex marriage, opposed Pemberton's move. Following consultation with Sentamu, Bishop Richard Inwood refused Pemberton permission to officiate (PTO) in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. [7] A PTO is only rarely revoked, usually only when the law is broken. [2] As a result, the NHS refused his chaplaincy at King's Mill Hospital, though he still worked for the Lincolnshire NHS trust. [8]

In response, Pemberton threatened legal action against the church. [7] This led to a tribunal. Pemberton approached three barristers and the church hired the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. At the tribunal, a registrar of the Diocese of London, a solicitor for Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a legal secretary from the church's general synod, and a legal representative of the church's pensions board were present, among others. Tom Linden QC, representing the church, took an aggressive line against Pemberton, calling him "errant", "not in good standing" and heavily chastising him for crying over the revocation of his PTO. [2]

The tribunal upheld the church's position, saying that supporting the church's position on same-sex marriage was a requirement of being a Church of England chaplain, and that the act allows religious groups exemptions in anti-employment discrimination law. [9] This judgement was criticised by the LGBT rights activist Peter Tatchell [10] and the LGBT rights charity Stonewall. [11]

Pemberton appealed the decision, but the Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissed his appeal in 2016. [12] The Court of Appeal also dismissed his case in 2018. [13] [14] [15]

Precisely five years after his marriage, Equal, the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, was founded to end bans on same-sex marriages in churches and to allow clergy to marry people of the same sex. [16]

Related Research Articles

Since the 1990s, the Anglican Communion has struggled with controversy regarding homosexuality in the church. In 1998, the 13th Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops passed a resolution "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture". However, this is not legally binding. "Like all Lambeth Conference resolutions, it is not legally binding on all provinces of the Communion, including the Church of England, though it commends an essential and persuasive view of the attitude of the Communion." "Anglican national churches in Brazil, South Africa, South India, New Zealand and Canada have taken steps toward approving and celebrating same-sex relationships amid strong resistance among other national churches within the 80 million-member global body. The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has allowed same-sex marriage since 2015, and the Scottish Episcopal Church has allowed same-sex marriage since 2017." In 2017, clergy within the Church of England indicated their inclination towards supporting same-sex marriage by dismissing a bishops' report that explicitly asserted the exclusivity of church weddings to unions between a man and a woman. At General Synod in 2019, the Church of England announced that same-gender couples may remain recognised as married after one spouse experiences a gender transition. In 2023, the Church of England announced that it would authorise "prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and for God's blessing for same-sex couples."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Church of Australia</span> Church of the Anglican Communion

The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the Catholic Church. According to the 2016 census, 3.1 million Australians identify as Anglicans. As of 2016, the Anglican Church of Australia had more than 3 million nominal members and 437,880 active baptised members. For much of Australian history since the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788, the church was the largest religious denomination. It remains today one of the largest providers of social welfare services in Australia.

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of which twenty-one are located in South Africa, and one each in Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Saint Helena. In South Africa, there are between 3 and 4 million Anglicans out of an estimated population of 45 million.

Richard Neil Inwood was a Bishop suffragan of Bedford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sentamu</span> Archbishop of York from 2005 to 2020

John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu, Baron Sentamu, is a retired Anglican bishop and life peer. He was Archbishop of York and Primate of England from 2005 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Scott-Joynt</span> English bishop

Michael Charles Scott-Joynt was an English bishop and a Prelate of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Bishop of Winchester, one of the five senior bishoprics in the Church of England, in 1995. He had previously served as Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield from 1987 and before that as a canon residentiary at St Albans Cathedral. On 10 October 2010, it was announced that Scott-Joynt intended to retire, which he did in May 2011.

Anthony "Tony" Porter is a retired Church of England bishop who served as the suffragan Bishop of Sherwood in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham from 2006 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Hill (bishop)</span> British bishop

Christopher John Hill, is a retired British Anglican bishop. From 1996 to 2004, he was the Bishop of Stafford, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Lichfield. From 2004 to 2013, he was the Bishop of Guildford, the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Guildford. In addition, he served as the Clerk of the Closet in the Ecclesiastical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Pritchard (bishop)</span> British bishop

John Lawrence Pritchard is a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Oxford from 2007 to 2014. He is in the Open Evangelical tradition.

The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada. Two of the major events that contributed to the movement were the 2002 decision of the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada to authorise a rite of blessing for same-sex unions, and the nomination of two openly gay priests in 2003 to become bishops. Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest with a long-time partner, was appointed to be the next Bishop of Reading in the Church of England and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church ratified the election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay non-celibate man, as Bishop of New Hampshire. Jeffrey John ultimately declined the appointment due to pressure.

The Catholic Church condemns same-sex sexual activity and denies the validity of same-sex marriage. While the Church says it opposes "unjust" discrimination against homosexual persons, it supports what it considers "just" discrimination in the employment of teachers or athletic coaches, in adoption, in the military and in housing. The Catechism of the Catholic Church promulgated by Pope John Paul II considers sexual activity between members of the same sex to be a grave sin against chastity and sees homosexual attraction as objectively disordered. However, the Catechism also states that homosexuals "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity". This teaching has developed through papal interventions, and influenced by theologians, including the Church Fathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Goldsworthy</span> Anglican Archbishop of Perth

Kay Maree Goldsworthy is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia. Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she became the first female archbishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. Previously, she served as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Gippsland in the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria.

Paul Gavin Williams is a Church of England bishop. Since May 2015, he has been the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham; from 2009 to 2015, he was the Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London.

The ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) clergy who are open about their sexuality or gender identity; are sexually active if lesbian, gay, or bisexual; or are in committed same-sex relationships is a debated practice within some contemporary Christian denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Warner (bishop)</span> Bishop of Chichester; Bishop of Whitby; Canon at St Pauls

Martin Clive Warner is an Anglican bishop in England. He is currently the Bishop of Chichester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivienne Faull</span> British Anglican bishop

Vivienne Frances Faull is a British Anglican bishop and Lord Spiritual. Since 2018, she has served as the Bishop of Bristol. In 1985, she was the first woman to be appointed chaplain to an Oxbridge college. She was later a cathedral dean, and the only female cathedral provost in Church of England history, having served as Provost of Leicester from 2000 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Frost</span> British Anglican bishop (born 1964)

Jonathan Hugh Frost is a British Anglican bishop. He has served as the Bishop of Portsmouth since 18 January 2022. He was previously Dean of York and Bishop of Southampton, a suffragan bishop in the Church of England's Diocese of Winchester since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles C. Thompson</span> American prelate

Charles Coleman Thompson is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in Indiana since 2017. He previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Evansville in Indiana from 2011 to 2017.

A permission to officiate (PTO), also known as a licence to officiate, is a concessionary ministry licence granted by an Anglican bishop. It is most commonly issued to a retired deacon, priest, or lay reader over the age of 70 years. It allows the person to continue to perform the duties of their calling within the diocese for a limited period of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Francis Doerfler</span> American Catholic bishop

John Francis Doerfler is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan since 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jeremy Charles Baring Pemberton" . Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing . Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strudwick, Patrick (5 December 2015). "This Is What Happened To The First Priest To Marry Another Man". BuzzFeed News . Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "Same-sex marriage now legal as first couples wed". BBC News . 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Meikle, James (13 April 2014). "Gay marriage first for chaplain in defiance of C of E". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Malnick, Edward (12 April 2014). "Church of England faces 'crisis' as gay priest weds". The Telegraph . Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Church of England rules out blessings for gay marriages". Reuters . 16 February 2014. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Brown, Andrew (4 August 2014). "Church faces legal challenge after blocking job offer to married gay priest". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Gay canon Jeremy Pemberton in Church discrimination tribunal". BBC News . BBC. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Wyatt, Tim (4 November 2015). "First priest in gay marriage, Jeremy Pemberton, loses employment tribunal". Church Times . Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "Tribunal rules Church can dictate who NHS employs". Peter Tatchell Foundation. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Sarmiento, Simon (10 November 2015). "The Jeremy Pemberton case and what it means". Stonewall. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Gay canon Jeremy Pemberton loses tribunal appeal". BBC News. BBC. 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "Gay priest Jeremy Pemberton's discrimination appeal dismissed". BBC News. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  14. ↑ Sherwood, Harriet (22 March 2018). "Gay hospital chaplain loses discrimination appeal against C of E". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Hopkins, Steven (22 March 2018). "Gay Priest Jeremy Pemberton Loses Discrimination Appeal Against The Church Of England". Huffington Post . Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. ↑ Duffy, Nick (13 April 2019). "Church of England pressed to end ban on same-sex marriage". PinkNews . Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.